Heart of the Cards
by Asiera
Summary: The Dark Lord is returning to the modern world and Atem must unite forces with old friends and enemies to defeat him. But things get a little more complicated when the gang is joined by companions from the past. Atem/Mana, Seto/Kisara, some Ishizu/Mahad
1. Recurring Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...wish I did, then I could appropriately use the phrase "Screw the rules I have money" (LittleKuriboh, The Abridged Series). Anyway; enjoy the story!

Full Summery: My first multichapter fic exploring a different scenario of the final Yu-Gi-Oh arc in which Atem defeats Yugi in their final duel with eachother forcing his spirit to remain linked with Yugi's and solidifying the prospect of Atem being bound to the Millennium Puzzle for another five thousand years.

One year after that fateful duel, things get interesting again when the barrier between our world and the Shadow Realm is shattered, allowing both good and evil spirits to pass through. This meshing of worlds also sees the returning of Zorc who intends to finish what he started five thousands years ago in the modern world.

Atem must unite with friends, old allies, and in a weird and ironic twist of fate, must work together with the greatest enemy of his past: the Thief King, in order to stop the Dark One's destruction of the earth.

AN: Rated T for language, violence, sexual themes, and dark qualities.

_Italicized equals thoughts _

_'Italicized with single quotation marks equals thought speak'_

_**Italicized+Bold equals Dream Sequence **_

**Chapter I**

**Recurring Nightmares**

_Trust in the heart of the cards…the heart of the cards… Doesn't he ever shut up! _Seto Kaiba was sitting at his desk, head in his hands, reliving his last duel with Yugi Moto. It had been unsuccessful; like the previous one, and the one before that, and the one before… hell, pretty much every single duel he'd had with that kid had ended in bitter failure.

_And he blames his undefeated winning streak on "the heart of the cards"._ _Please, these cards are merely pieces of paper, nothing more. Living creatures have hearts. People? Sometimes. But never cards. Although, the fact that he has a severe split personality disorder might contribute to his delusions. He believes he's possessed by the spirit of a five thousand year old pharaoh who—get this—used to play Duel Monsters in Ancient Egypt for God's sake! This "heart of the cards" could just be the rantings of a lunatic. But as much as I'd love to blame it all on a mental issue, __**he**_ _is the King of Games and __**I'm**_ _just another loser with his pride wounded._

Seto rubbed his aching head. He'd been over and over this dilemma a million times and was still no closer to an answer that could restore his title or his pride. He glanced out the window and sighed as he saw the last rays of the sun slipping away; illuminating the grandeur of his estate as they sunk beneath the horizon. _Great, another_ _day wasted. _Seto looked with distaste at the unfinished paperwork that cluttered his desk. He seriously considered going to bed and leaving it for tomorrow but he quickly pushed the thought aside as he recalled the dream that had been troubling him for the past few weeks.

It wasn't the usual "defeated-again" dream. Those, though unsettling, he could handle. But this was more realistic; it was more like a vision than a dream and a disturbing one at that. It had been getting more vivid and terrible each time. Even worse, it almost seemed to support Yugi's insane theory. He pushed the thoughts away, not wanting to think about it any more than he had to. No, he wouldn't play that game tonight, he'd stay up and finish these documents. Besides, he wasn't _that_ tired…

sssSsss

_**The hot Egyptian sun beat down on the back of his neck... **_

_Oh no not again…_

_**He saw a tall slender girl with light skin and extremely long ice blue hair running towards him. She called out to him and he felt a shiver run up his spine. He glanced over to where he knew the dark figure would appear but as always, the space remained empty. **_

_**The girl had reached him and he felt her hands around his. She began to talk to him in a fast worried voice but he wasn't really listening. He had seen this moment so many times he knew every word, every feeling, everything… and there was nothing he could do to stop or prevent any of it. Now he felt his mouth forming words that he had never intended it to. Damn he hated this. He hated having no control. All he could do was watch as it all happened.**_

_**The ground underneath their feet began to shake and he felt himself pull the girl away from the collapsing temple—or whatever it was—behind them. They escaped the tumbling stones only to come face-to-face with a dark figure draped in shadows. The only thing Seto could see clearly was the glittering Millennium Eye—the exact same one Pegasus had owned—embedded into the left side of his twisted face. Seto felt fear and anger that were both his own and yet completely alien as he put his arm protectively around the girl. **_

_**The dark figure only laughed; a laugh that made Seto feel cold despite the desert heat. It became clear by the blood thirsty look in his eye that he meant to kill.**_

_**Before Seto could react, the girl had pulled free of his grasp and was now standing protectively before him. He saw a strange aura of light surround her, her hair blowing violently by an unfelt wind, and in a blinding flash it was no longer the beautiful girl standing foolishly between him and the dark shadow, but the fierce snarling form of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. **_

_**The dragon gave a tremendous roar and it shot a powerful blast of white lightning crackling across the hot ground. Seto shielded his eyes from the bright flash as the attack crashed into its destination, an attack that would have demolished even the most powerful of opponents, yet the dark figure remained unharmed. The dragon snarled angrily and proceeded to throw everything it had at the strange shadow until finally her strength was spent. It then began to tremble, and once again it took the form of the girl. Seto reached out a hand to steady her shaking form but she stubbornly shook it off, and firmly stood her ground. **_

_**The heavy amount of swirling dust that filled the air, caused by the massive onslaught the Blue Eyes had unleashed, made it impossible to tell if her relentless attacks had had any effect. All they could do… was wait. They both looked on with growing anticipation as the dust began to dissipate. Seto prayed that this time the clearing air would reveal that the evil man had been destroyed, wiped off the face of the earth by the sheer force of The Blue Eyes' attack. But Seto knew he was standing there, evil grin still plastered on his face. **__This time will be no different._

_**Even as these thoughts crossed his mind they became a horrible reality. A crackling dark blast of magic struck the girl, knocking her to the ground. And Seto clearly saw the face of their attacker materialize through the haze. One eye of blood-red locked with his own, while the other looked deep into his soul, and he found he couldn't move, trapped in place by the merciless stare. **_

_**The thing in front of him began to mutter a spell and Seto felt an uncontrollable fear grip him as he realized now he really was going to die. With a demonic hiss a wicked black dagger flew from the figure's dark hands aiming straight for Seto's chest. He closed his eyes; bracing himself for the attack. But instead of feeling the icy sting of the dagger he felt the brief brush of soft hair on his face and he breathed in the sweet aroma of… **_

_**"KISARA, NO!" he shouted as the twisted black object pierced her chest. **_

_**The spell broken, he caught her falling body in his arms, unable to accept what had just happened. "Why Kisara, why?" **_

_**She only smiled at him weakly and reached up, her smooth hand brushing his face before falling limply to dangle at her side.**_

"_**Kisara? Kisara, wake up," he whispered shaking her. "Kisara, please don't leave me." Her face remained motionless as the crimson stain on her chest began to spread. "Kisara… I love you." He felt a tear roll down his cheek, saw it fall onto her beautiful upturned face. She was gone.**_

"_**Stupid girl; thinking she could save you by sacrificing herself. But now her power is yours as it should be. Now the throne of Egypt is in your grasp. Take it Seto! Become Pharaoh!"**_

_**Seto didn't look up, still staring into the girl's now empty face. His voice shook as he spoke "I-I want nothing to do with you or your empty promises of power. You are nothing more then a play thing to both the Thief King and the Dark One."**_

_**The dark shadow let out a disappointed sigh. "It is a pity that you have chosen the wrong path. But if you will not take the power...I shall take it for you! Now two will die today instead of one!"**_

_**Seto felt an anger—stronger than anything he'd ever felt before—boil up inside of him. "You're right, two will die today," he said his voice still shaking voice as he lowered Kisara's limp body slowly to the ground. "But the second won't be me, it will be you, Father!" Seto leapt forward pulling a dagger of his own as he charged. Then with all the strength he could muster, he plunged it deep into Aknadin's chest. **_

_**The man gasped in pain and fear as death began to clutch at him with her cold bony fingers. Losing his balance, he fell forward onto Seto who was still holding the dagger mercilessly in place.. **_

_**Seto tried desperately to push the shifting mass of shadows and flesh that had once been his father off. But while the man fell backwards, the shadows that had enveloped him seemed to cling to Seto, seeping into his skin, sinking deep into his very soul. Seto screamed, falling, writhing in pain, to the ground. Then it all went black and he felt completely numb. **_

_**Suddenly the dream changed. He was no longer blinded by the shadows. He clearly saw his three Blue Eyes cards, and a fourth, ripped in two. **_

_**This was different, he'd never seen this before… **_

_**And then he heard Kisara's voice calling out to him: **_"_**Seto…Seto…"**_

"Seto wake up!"

He jerked awake, and stared up at a concerned Mokuba.

"Are you okay Big Brother? I heard you shouting all the way from my room."

Seto shook off the remnants of the dream and looked hurriedly around as he tried to regain his bearings. He realized that he was still in his dimly lit office. Glancing down he saw with annoyance that the paperwork that had been neatly stacked was now strewn about in an unorderly mess on his desk and all over the floor. Plus, it was still unfinished. Seto sighed as he pulled a wrinkled, rather important report off his sticky face. "Yeah I'm fine Mokuba. It was just a dream."

His younger brother looked unconvinced, "You haven't really slept well in weeks and…" he hesitated, "…well you look sick. Maybe you should uh, stop working so hard. Get someone else to do it…or something."

Seto shook his head at his brother, "Really Mokuba, I'm fine. And anyway, you know I'm the only one smart enough to do this stuff. I wouldn't even trust those idiots with cashing a check."

Mokuba smiled at his brother's exaggeration. He knew his brother had every kind of financial expert available to fill out his paperwork, _even if he checks every scrap of paper they touch. He just overworks when he's upset._

"Look, you just go back to bed, I'm almost done here anyway."

Mokuba gave him a skeptical look.

"Go on. Really, I'll be done in a few minutes."

Mokuba left reluctantly and Seto began the task of organizing the papers again, thoughts of the dream still running through his head.

**sssSsss**

AN: Hope you enjoyed. Please R&R. ConCrit welcome.

-Asiera


	2. The Rightful Owner

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any affiliated materials.

AN: Just to clarify—despite the fact that this story is set one year after the events of the original series—Seto still doesn't believe any of these "hocus-pocus-mind-tricks" (or at least he won't admit that he does). Also, I am not misspelling Yugi's last name, I am simply using the American version of it.

**Chapter II**

**The Rightful Owner**

It was Saturday morning—two days after Christmas—and Yugi Moto was hoping to take advantage of his few free days by sleeping in until at least noon. It felt good not to have to do anything…

'_Yugi, Yugi. Your grandpa wants you to get up. He said something about minding the shop.'_

_Great,_ thought Yugi, _even on Saturday during my __holiday break__Grandpa __**still**__ wants me to run the shop. Maybe if I don't move, Grandpa will leave. Then I can go back to bed…_

'_Yugi, get up!'_

…_but only if Yami will leave me alone, sheesh, who's side is he on?_

'_Yugi, I __**know**__ you're not asleep. I can hear what you're thinking. You can't just leave your grandpa's shop unattended.'_

"Wanna bet?" he muttered.

'_Yugi you are so immature.'_

"Well, at least I'm not over five thousand years old," he responded eyes still closed.

The Pharaoh glared in Yugi's direction, '_I rest my case, but fine. Just don't blame me when your grandpa grounds you because the shop got robbed.'_

Yugi sat up angrily, "If you're so worried about it, why don't _you_ go watch the shop then!" _Wait a sec... _a grin crossed his face, "Hmm, that's a good idea. Tell you what Yami, you can go take care of the shop and _I'll_ go back to sleep."

'_That's a wonderful idea Yugi,' _he thought sarcastically, '_but have you forgotten that in spirit form, only you and a few select others can see me?' _

"Oh I know," Yugi answered a mischievous smirk on his face, "that's why I'll be going back to sleep in the Millennium Puzzle." And with that Yugi disappeared into the Egyptian artifact, forcing the Pharaoh to take control of their body.

"Yugi!" the Pharaoh snapped in an exasperated tone.

'_You better hurry up Yami, or Grandpa will ground us both,' _he retorted grinning.

The Pharaoh walked down the stairs, exiting the upper floor that served as their living quarters, and entering the main floor that was the Game Shop. As he went he muttered to himself a bit angrily, yet a smile was slowly creeping onto his face. _That Yugi, _he thought fondly.

"Ah there you are Yugi," called Solomon Moto as soon as the Pharaoh came into view. "I was beginning to think that I'd have to send a search party to look for you."

"Really Grandpa, my room is not _that_ messy,"Atem responded with a smile.

He laughed. "Actually it is, but we'll talk about that later. Right now I'm late for a very important duelist convention. Mind the shop while I'm gone," he called as he walked out the door not really giving the Pharaoh much of a choice in the matter.

The Pharaoh sighed and sat down behind the counter.

sssSsss

The morning was very slow. Yugi's grandpa didn't really get many customers during these early hours—especially durring his early hours after the Christmas rush. Today's mainly included stuttering females who's entire knowledge of Duel Monsters seemed to be that _he_ was The King of Games, and that he was apparently "very hot" even though he was quite sure he did not have a fever. So it was perfectly understandable that when Seto Kaiba walked through the door the Pharaoh was completely shocked.

"Kaiba, what are you doing here?" he asked surprise evident on his features and in his voice.

Seto sent him a look that would send most people running but The Pharaoh stood his ground, waiting patiently for his answer. Seto just continued to stand there and glare; it seemed that he was just as clueless as the Pharaoh as to why he was here.

"If you're here to duel me I'm afraid I'm too busy today," said Atem resorting to the default reason that he and Kaiba had for seeing eachother.

"I'm not here to duel you," snapped Seto. "I'm… I'm here about a particular card."

"You're actually here to shop?" asked the Pharaoh even more shocked than before. "Don't you usually buy directly from Pegasus?"

"Look Yugi, I don't have time for your little games! And do you think, even for a second, that I'd be here if I could get this card anywhere else?"

"Alright Kaiba, you've got me interested. So what could I possibly have to offer you… You do know I'm not selling the God Cards, right?"

"What do you think I'm stupid?"

The Pharaoh shrugged nonchalantly.

_That's it, I can't deal with this guy! I'm getting out of here._ Seto turned towards the door to leave. _But wait… If I leave I'm just back where I started. I've got to solve this problem._ He clenched his fists and turned back to the Pharaoh. "Look, I've come for something and I'm not leaving without it, so just shut up and do your job! Got it?"

The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "Alright Kaiba, I'm listening."

Seto sneered as he stepped forward. "The card I played your grandpa for, the last Blue Eyes White Dragon, do you still have it?"

"You mean the card you destroyed?" he questioned, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Seto sighed. "Yes, the card I ripped in half."

"Why would you want it? It's worthless now."

"Just answer the question! Do you have it or not?"

The Pharaoh thought for a minute. "Yes, I believe my grandfather still keeps it, but like I said, it's worthless now."

"Good. Then you won't mind if I take it."

"Actually, I meant it had no value to _you._ Despite the fact that it's completely useless in a duel, it still has sentimental value to my grandfather."

"You've gotta be kidding me! I…you…" Seto took in a deep breath. _I've got to play this right…_ "I won the duel, therefore _I_ won the card and it belongs to _me_."

"Yes, _you_ did win the duel…but then you ripped the card in half, and threw the pieces away, so _you_ relinquished ownership of it."

Seto felt anger well up inside of him again, but still fought to keep his cool. "Alright then…can I at least see it?"

The Pharaoh gave him a skeptical look. "Well alright, I don't see the harm in that. Wait here." The Pharaoh left the room, leaving Seto alone with his thoughts.

As the Pharaoh entered Solomon Moto's room, Yugi stirred inside the Millennium Puzzle. He decided he'd better check on the Pharaoh and make sure he was doing okay. He remembered with a shudder the last time the Pharaoh had had a job. It had been real simple, just helping out at a local bookstore. But then Atem had discovered the Ancient Egyptian section and had proceeded to "correct" their "mistakes". As expected, the shop owner hadn't been too happy when she saw him writing all over the books… _Goodbye job. Goodbye extra spending money. _No to mention he had had to buy all the defaced books.

Yugi exited the Puzzle and was surprised to see that they were standing in his grandpa's room. '_What are you doing in here? How come you're not watching the shop?'_

"It's nice to see you finally decided to join the living Yugi," answered the Pharaoh unfazed.

'_Seriously, what are you looking for?' _

"This," said the Pharaoh as he produced a small very ornately decorated box from one of the open drawers of Grandpa's dresser. He then turned and began to head back towards the Game Shop with Yugi following curiously and a bit anxiously.

"Finally," sighed Seto as the Pharaoh emerged.

'_Why is __**he**__ here!?' _asked Yugi now deeply regretting letting the Pharaoh watch the shop. Seto Kaiba was someone Yugi tried to avoid and for good reasons…lots and lots of them.

'_Relax Yugi, Kaiba is just doing a little bit of…window shopping.'_

'_Window shopping huh?'_

Ignoring Yugi's protests, the Pharaoh crossed the floor to the impatient Seto and slowly opened the box, revealing the two severed pieces of the last Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Seto's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the card that had suddenly become _the_ most vital thing in his life. _This is it. Time to see if my dreams have any real consequence._

The Pharaoh noticed Seto's uncertainty; the apprehensive way he looked at the torn card. _What could possibly be so important about this card? I've never seen Kaiba act so strangely. Something is definitely up…but what? _"Kaiba, are you alright?"

His words brought Seto out of his trance. "Yes…yeah, I'm fine." He paused then cautiously motioned with his hand toward the card. "May I?"

The Pharaoh hesitated as Yugi's warning thoughts rushed into his head. _A change has come over him, he seems desperate to get this card…almost fearful that I won't let him even touch it. _To both Yugi's and his own disbelief, he nodded his consent.

Seto slowly reached out to the card but stopped, his fingertips only inches away from the card's surfaces. _This is insane. I'm here in the most rundown shop in town begging my top rival for a worthless card. And why? Because a recurring nightmare showed me a vision of four Blue Eyes cards. _He sighed. _I must be crazy. _

He closed the distance between his fingers and the card.

Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding white light. They all shielded their eyes and the Pharaoh thought he heard a woman's voice calling out to Seto. Then as suddenly as the flash had appeared it was gone revealing the no longer ripped card as it fluttered down to land at Seto's feet, who seemed only able to stand there, dumbstruck by the events that had just taken place.

The Pharaoh recovered first and bent down to pick up the card. "It seems," he said smiling at Seto, "that the card believes that you are its rightful owner. So here, take it."

Seto just continued to stand there. He seemed unable to grasp the fact the Pharaoh was in fact giving him the final Blue Eyes White Dragon card.

"Go on, it's yours. After all," he said with a slight smirk, "you _did_ win the duel against my grandfather."

Seto took the proffered card glancing from it to the Pharaoh and back again. "I…it was a pleasure doing business with you," he said trying to regain his composure, and with a quick nod he turned and exited the shop.

'_Great… now we have to explain to Grandpa why his favorite card is missing,' _Yugi said angrily as they watched Seto disappear around the corner. '_I'm never putting you in charge of anything every again…' _He began to take back control from the Pharaoh. '…_unless it's a duel,' _he added quickly.

**sssSsss**

Hope you enjoyed. I appreciate reviews and welcome ConCrit.

-Asiera


	3. An Old Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any affiliated materials.

**Chapter III**

**An Old Friend**

The entire drive home Seto sat in the back of the limo, unable to take his eyes off the card. He kept reliving the events of the morning over and over in his head and yet he still couldn't quite grasp the reality of it all. This all seemed like one of those crazy cartoon shows Mokuba watched on Saturday morning. The boundaries between reality and impossible fantasy had been blurred, and Seto wasn't sure of anything anymore. This was no longer his world and he had no idea how to play this new game.

He sighed. _Well now what? I've got all four cards…does that mean the nightmares will just stop?_ Seto doubted that it would be that simple. In fact, he doubted that any of this crazy stuff would do anything to help_. But I've tried everything else including a variety of sleeping pills—none of which have done anything about the nightmare. It's the only thing I haven't tried. So it's either this or become an insomniac—which Mokuba already thinks I am. I guess I should probably put all the cards together as they were shown in the dream._

When Seto arrived home he bypassed the excited Mokuba by saying he was too busy right now and quickly ascended the stairs that led to his room.

"But Seto," Mokuba called after his brother, "I thought you said we could—"

"Maybe later," Seto answered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Mokuba lowered his head sadly as he walked away. "You never have time for me anymore," he muttered quietly.

Seto continued on to his room, completely oblivious to the way his brother was feeling. Seto loved his brother; he would give up everything for him and Mokuba knew it. But for Seto Kaiba, expressing emotions like love or caring never came easily, especially when he was sleep deprived and desperate enough to turn to Yugi Moto for help.

Seto flipped on the light switch, revealing a meticulously clean room. He had no time for messes and was at a loss for how his brother could live in his room which could have easily passed as a toy store after a tornado had hit it. He crossed the floor, stepping lightly over the crisp carpet to his dresser and opened the box that held his dueling deck. After removing all the cards—except for his three Blue Eyes White Dragons—he hesitantly placed the fourth inside, wincing as he waited for another bright flash, or something equally as strange. As the fourth card settled into place, the air around the box seemed to become electrically charged, but besides some hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, nothing happened.

_I guess that's it, problem solved. _Seto was too tired to let himself believe anything else. Collapsing on his bed, he fell immediately asleep.

sssSsss

_**Again he was holding the dying Kisara in his arms…**__NO! No! Not again! I got all the cards why won't it stop? Please make it stop… __**Now there was an incessant ringing in his ears, it grew louder and louder until he thought his head would explode…**_

sssSsss

Seto awoke in a cold sweat, his bed sheets tangled uncomfortably around him. Though the dream was gone the ringing was still pounding in his ears. It took him a second to realize that it was the sound of the ringing phone which had pulled him from his nightmare. He reached over with a shaking hand and picked it up. "Hello," he said trying to make his voice sound as steady as possible.

"Aww, Kaiba-Boy!" greeted the musical voice of Maximillion Pegasus. "It's been too long since we've last spoken."

"Not long enough if you ask me." Despite his harsh words he'd never been so glad to hear Pegasus's voice. He'd choose talking to this nutcase over his recurring nightmare any day.

"Oh you and your smart comebacks. I do enjoy chatting with you, but alas, my purpose for calling is not to exchange the latest gossip with you," he sighed. "But it entails a rather important business offer."

"Pegasus, unless it's a machine that makes dreaming impossible I'm really not interested."

Pegasus's high laugh sounded over the speaker. "Oh, Kaiba-Boy, you say the darnedest things. Anyway, about my offer—"

"Didn't you hear me, or are you growing deaf in your old age as well as senile? I'm not interested."

Pegasus ignored his words and proceeded to talk, a sound that in itself gave Seto a headache. "As you know," he drawled, "my associates and I have recently been on another archaeological expedition to Egypt—"

"If you like it there so much, why don't you do us both a favor and _move_."

Again Pegasus acted as though Seto hadn't spoken. "—where we made an astounding discovery. A new temple! Isn't that exciting Kaiba?"

"Not really."

"We were the first ones to set foot in that temple in over _five_ _thousand_ _years_, and the discoveries we made inside further prove my theory that Duel Monsters was, in fact, played in Ancient Egypt!"

Seto was really mad now, he was facing becoming delirious from loss of sleep, a serious headache from the annoying voice on the phone, and now Pegasus wanted to tell him about his latest little adventure!? "Look Pegasus, I'm not interested in hearing about your last expedition! I have more pressing matters at hand than what your most recent dig-in-the-sandbox turned up, so go tell it to someone who cares!" he yelled, slamming the phone back down in the receiver and held his head, which felt like it was about to split open. _I got all four cards, put them together, what more can I do? All I want is to be able to sleep for a couple of hours. Is that so much to ask?_

The phone rang again, causing a fresh jolt of pain to shoot through his head. He grabbed angrily for the offending device. "What!?" he yelled.

"Kaiba-Boy you really shouldn't hang up on people like that. Why, they might get the idea that you don't _want_ talk to them."

"Pegasus! I _don't_ want to talk to you!" he practically screamed into the phone. "I just want to be left alone!"

"Goodness gracious Kaiba-Boy, don't get so upset. It sounds as though you're having a nervous breakdown."

"So what if I am! You would be too if you hadn't slept in about a week!" _Wonderful I just confided in Pegasus. What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Haven't slept in a week? Well my dear boy, whatever is the matter? Tell me _everything_," he crooned in a concerned voice.

_I may be desperate, but I'm not __**that**_ _desperate. _"What are you? A psychotherapist? I'm not going to—"

Suddenly Pegasus let out a little squeal of delight, "Ohhh Kaiba-Boy, you wouldn't happen to be having 'girl-issues', would you? Well it's about time! I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever get a date!"

"Pegasus what the—No I'm—This has nothing to do with a girl!"

"You denied it! Then it is true! Come now Kaiba-Boy, details! _Details_! I want to know _everything_! Does Mokuba know? How does he feel about this? You know this kind of thing can be very traumatic for children his age."

"What! Pegasus you crazy-old-senile-nutcase-moron! THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A GIRL!" he bellowed into the phone.

"Fine, fine. Don't tell me. I have other sources from which I can get my information. But enough small talk; if you do recall I have an offer for you."

"Will you leave me alone if I let you tell me?"

"Why of course Kaiba-Boy. After all, I really shouldn't keep you, for you have other, more _important_ things on your mind don't you?" he said, and Seto seethed as pictured him winking on the other end. "So where was I…Oh yes! We had just set foot in a temple that hadn't been inhabited in over _five_ _thousand_ _years_."

"Just get to the point."

"Very well, very well. Basically, we found Ancient Egyptian dueling cards! And there was one little beauty that just had your name written all over it."

_Ancient Egyptian dueling cards…my name? Could he mean?_

"Do you want me to tell you what it was?"

"I'm not going to beg if that's what you—"

"Alright, alright I'll tell you. Goodness Kaiba-Boy, don't get so enthusiastic!"

Seto nearly began to pound his head against the wall.

"It was the Blue Eyes White Dragon, depicted on a stone tablet that the Ancient Egyptians must have used to play Duel Monsters! Imagine it Kaiba, the first Blue Eyes card in existence on display in _your_ manor! And of course, serving as a constant reminder that _I_ was in fact right about the origins of the game."

_Put all the cards together… This could be it! The solution to my current predicament. For once Pegasus actually did something useful. _"Send it over, immediately."

Pegasus scoffed, "Easier said than done Kaiba-Boy. It's over ten feet tall! Plus we haven't even begun to haggle over price."

"Oh, I'll just come over and pick it up myself then. And screw the price, I have money."

"...very well, Kaiba, I'll have it ready when you arrive, _with_ a bill attached."

"Good day Pegasus."

"Always a pleasure."

**sssSsss**

AN: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I think I really got Pegasus's character and his relationship with Kaiba down. Hope you laughed as much reading this chapter as I did while writing it (though me laughing that much wasn't really a good thing, since I was in my student aid class at the time).

As always, please R&R and ConCrit is never a bad thing.

-Asiera


	4. Grounded

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related materials.

AN: This chapter's kinda short but funny. Not as funny as the previous mind you, but I don't think anyone can top Pegasus.

**Chapter IV**

**Grounded**

Yugi had been very quiet ever since Seto had left the Game Shop with Grandpa's most prized possession. He'd only gotten up when he had to serve customers and his only interaction with the Pharaoh was the occasional glare in his general direction. He seemed quite intent on some activity he was hunched over which involved many pieces of paper and a few mangled looking colored pencils. The Pharaoh had assumed it was homework, though why he was getting such an early start Atem hadn't a clue; he had the rest of winter break to do it, not to mention that Yugi had a bad habit of waiting till the last minute to finish it. That and the fact that Yugi had blocked him from those particular thoughts made him suspicious. Finally his curiosity got the better of him. '_Yugi, what are you doing?'_

Yugi scowled. "Saving both of us from Grandpa's wrath. Do you realize how mad he's gonna be when he finds out you just _gave away_ his Blue Eyes?"

'_Yugi I told you, the card belonged with Kaiba; you saw what happened when he touched it.'_

"Yeah, it fixed itself."

The Pharaoh nodded as if that proved everything.

"That would have just made him happy, maybe enough to up our allowance. But then _you_ had to ruin it by giving the repaired card to Kaiba! What am I suppose to tell him when he discovers it's missing?"

'_Tell him the truth, Yugi. I'm sure he'll understand.'_

"Well I'm glad _you're_ so confident, but I'm not willing to take that risk. So I've come up with a plan that ensures our survival..." He paused climatically and it seemed to the Pharaoh that he was half expecting a drum roll. "We won't tell him anything!"

'_Okay… That may work at first, but sometime in the day he will go upstairs, discover the missing card, and—according to you—proceed to kill us. So what's not telling him up front going to accomplish? Buy you some time?'_

"No, because Grandpa will never discover that the card is missing."

'_Yugi, not all old people are blind.'_

"No, you don't get it; I thought our minds were suppose to be connected—"

'_You're blocking your thoughts on this particular issue.'_

"Oh… Anyway, he won't discover that the card's missing because when he checks on his precious card, it will be there."

'_How do you figure that? Kaiba has it remember, and I don't think he'll want to give it back.'_

"Oh, it won't be the real card, it'll be a duplicate. A duplicate so good that even Pegasus couldn't tell the difference. When Grandpa opens the box he'll see this!" Yugi declared triumphantly, waving the paper he'd been slaving over for the past few hours in the Pharaoh's face.

The Pharaoh tried to stop the smile that was spreading across his face as well as the laughter that was threatening to burst from his lips. The paper that Yugi was holding up depicted what looked to be a giant blue dog with wings. There was no way Grandpa would be fooled by that. Heck, there was no way a legally blind man could be fooled by Yugi's "duplicate" of the Blue Eyes.

'_Yugi,'_ said the Pharaoh still trying to hold back his laughter, '_I don't think that's going to work.'_

"What do you mean it won't work? It looks exactly like the Blue Eyes."

'_Yugi, it __**looks**_ _like a giant blue dog with wings.'_

"What?! Are you insulting my superior drawing skills!"

'_No Yugi, I'm just saying—'_

"You're jealous. You just wish you could draw as well as me."

The Pharaoh couldn't hold it back any more, he began to laugh and continued to do so despite Yugi's menacing glare. '_I'm sorry Yugi,' _choked the Pharaoh still laughing, '_it's just too funny.'_

Yugi looked again at his "masterpiece" and sighed. "It is pretty bad huh?"

The Pharaoh nodded reining in his laughter as he did so.

"Well, what are we supposed to do? I don't know about you but I'd prefer not to be grounded for the rest of my natural life."

'_We could tell him the truth.'_

"No! We're not telling Grandpa!" shouted Yugi, exasperatedly.

"Not telling me what Yugi?" Grandpa asked as he walked through the door.

"Aaah, Grandpa…you're home early... How'd the convention go?"

"Fine. Just fine," answered Grandpa as looked around the shop suspiciously. "You didn't throw a party while I was away did you?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think I'd do that?"

Grandpa continued to scrutinize the shop and his grandson. "Was any merchandise stolen?"

"Well, no, not exactly…" said Yugi, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"And what _exactly _is that suppose to mean?" returned Grandpa, foot tapping impatiently.

"Nothing! Uhh, I mean that your sales…yeah, your sales are so good people consider it a steal."

Grandpa seemed unsatisfied. He glanced down at Yugi's drawing that was still laying on the counter. Somehow, he recognized it for what it was intended to be. "Yugi, why are you attempting to draw the Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

"Oh that," said Yugi thinking quickly, "That's not the Blue Eyes, It's a giant blue dog with wings."

"Oh, I see… Yugi I'm going to drop my stuff off upstairs. I'll be down in a minute."

As Grandpa exited the room the same thought played over and over in Yugi's head: _He knows…He knows…_

'_Of course he does. With old age comes wisdom.'_

"And the ability to ground someone forever without any T.V., allowance, friends, or _Duel Monsters_!"

'_You can still tell him. Trust me, it would be better if he found out from you rather than by himself. __**I**_ _could do it for you. After all, I was the one who gave Kaiba the card.'_

Yugi hesitated, considering the Pharaoh's proposition for a moment. "Okay, fine, but hurry. Trust _me _when I tell you that you don't want to see Grandpa m—"

"YUGI MOTO!"

"I have a feeling I'm about to," answered the Pharaoh as Yugi frantically gave him control of the body. The Pharaoh had to admit that even he felt intimidated as Grandpa began his thundering descent down the stairs.

**sssSsss**

AN: I hope you liked this addition to the story, please tell me what you thought and remember I welcome ConCrit.

-Asiera


	5. A Spirit Released

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related materials.

AN: Special thanks to all who reviewed the last chapters or added this story to favs/alerts: AtemuManaLover, sirensbane, wowzaCOOLbeans.

And to dancers of the night: You Rock! /Runs up to and anime tackles/ To you I award the Super Special Awesome Award for reviewing each of my chapters and for adding me and my story to your favs/alerts! (I'll be giving one out almost every chapter to the best review(s).)

Anyway on with the story!

**Chapter V**

**A Spirit Released**

Seto had had a hard time explaining to Mokuba where he was going in such a hurry and why he was taking the jet. But A: he hadn't wanted to worry his brother any more than he already was, and B: he was desperate to fix this problem as soon as possible. He didn't have the time to explain to Mokuba everything that had been going on for the past few weeks. Suffice it to say, he had avoided most of Mokuba's protests by telling him that he'd be back tonight (more like early the next morning), and it had helped that he hadn't looked his younger brother directly in the eyes. Not even _he_ could withstand "the face".

Seto glanced down and noted with little interest the breathtaking tropical scenery that made up the strange fantasy world in which Pegasus dwelled. Seto was actually relieved when he saw the towers of Pegasus's strange castle come into view. _Finally this crazy nightmare is about to come to an end._

Pegasus was standing near the landing pad, glass of wine in his hand, awaiting Seto's arrival. As the jet touched down, the wind from its engines caused Pegasus's long silver hair to blow wildly around his face, revealing the now empty eye socket that had once held the Millennium Eye. Seto flinched wondering why the hell he didn't get a glass eye or something to cover up that disturbing hole.

"Good evening Kaiba-Boy," greeted Pegasus as Seto jumped nimbly from the cockpit. "Goodness, when you say you're coming immediately, you mean it! I suppose that's why you're such a good business man."

"Cut the pleasantries Pegasus. Let's just get this over with."

Pegasus sighed. "Very well, Kaiba, but if you never take the time to smell the roses, then one day you'll wake up to find yourself as old as I am and you'll wonder where your life has disappeared to."

"Save your lame attempts at advice for fortune cookies and just show me what you've found."

He shrugged and nodded. "Right this way, Kaiba-Boy."

Following the owner of the extravagant estate, Seto entered through the side doors that led from the garden into one of the many passages that ran throughout the castle. As he walked, he glanced around at the rich antique décor that made up the strange, somewhat childish, atmosphere of Pegasus's home.

"It's in the entrance hallway," called Pegasus, beckoning him on.

Seto quickened his pace, anxious to end all this madness. He was ushered into a large room who's centerpiece was a huge winding staircase leading up to places unknown. Seto's eyes were instantly drawn towards a large rectangular shape draped in a white silken sheet.

"Well, there it is Kaiba, the first Blue Eyes White Dragon… I'll just leave you two alone while I go fetch the bill. Be back in a sec," said Pegasus, waving as he practically skipped out of the room via the staircase.

Seto stood perfectly still for some time, rooted to the spot. He felt the same fearful anticipation that he had experienced when Yugi presented him with the fourth Blue Eyes card returning; only this time it was much, much stronger. He took a deep breath and slowly began to cross the marble floor, his footsteps echoing ominously on its smooth surface. When he reached the covered stone slab he hesitantly retrieved the four Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and held them up.

Instantly a loud humming filled the air and the stone began to glow beneath its silken covering. A violent wind began to shake the room's many windows, howling loudly around the castle. After only a few seconds of enduring this torment, they shattered, showering Seto with a million shards of broken glass. He tried to cover his face but the hand that held the cards was trapped firmly in place by some unseen force. The wild wind that the thin layers of glass had been holding back swept into the room, ripping portraits from the walls and completely demolishing everything in its path. Its final act was to sweep the concealing curtain away. Then as quickly as it had come, it ceased, leaving the room in complete silence. The lights flickered and went dark, leaving the softly glowing form of the dragon, embedded within the stone slab, as the only source of light.

For a while, all was completely still, making the soft noise of Seto's shaky breathing sound unrealistically loud. He held his breath, bracing himself for what would ensue; a strong gut feeling told him this was only the calm before the storm. As usual, he was correct. Suddenly the hand in which Seto held the cards began to vibrate violently, as though the four cards were desperately trying to free themselves from his iron grip; a grip he had no intention of exerting on them. The cards became white hot and he cried out in pain as he felt them burning into his flesh, but still he was unable to release them. Finally the cards yanked free of his grasp, releasing his arm from whatever force had held it so relentlessly in place.

He knelt down, cradling his seared hand against his chest; wincing from the pain, he looked up. Three of the cards had begun to circle around the stone slab, getting faster and faster with each circlet. The fourth hung motionless in the air before him. It continued growing larger and brighter with each passing second until Seto thought he would go blind just by looking at it. Though for some reason he was still unable to tear his gaze from the scene taking place before him.

Then, with a tremendous cracking sound, the dragon broke free of its prison in a shower of stone and blue flames. The creature spread its huge bat-like wings and roared, a sound that made Seto feel as though his eardrums would break and shook the mansion to its very foundation. It turned its sapphire eyes on Seto.

Most would have fled the room in terror but as Seto looked into the creature's eyes he felt a flood of emotions; none of them were fear. The dragon reared back its head as though it intended to strike but instead of running Seto did something that even he couldn't explain: he stood and opened his arms wide to the potential attack. The creature charged, but as it touched the plane of the fourth card a cascade of light ensued that blotted out everything in a stunning white flash.

Seto felt something collapse onto him, knocking him backwards to his knees, and when the flash had disappeared, Seto was revealed holding the naked body of the girl that had been haunting his dreams for the past few weeks: Kisara.

Seto stared disbelievingly down at the girl he held in his arms. Her long ice blue hair fell over her ivory skin, concealing most of her prone body. Her eyes were closed and she looked to be unconscious. He felt a chaotic array of emotions stream into him, not all of them welcome. For once, Seto Kaiba had absolutely no idea what to do.

She stirred against him, causing an unpleasant, unwanted, tingly feeling to occur in his stomach. Her eyelids flickered and opened revealing a pair of stunning sapphire blue orbs, exactly the same color as those of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "S-Seto?" she whispered in a shaking voice. Again, he was filled with hundreds of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Luckily he was saved from making a reply by the stammering Maximillion Pegasus entering the room.

Pegasus had run back into the room when he'd head the dragon's roar and had watched the events from the balcony above. After he had gotten over his initial shock—partially due to the fact that his once fabulous entrance hall was reduced to shambles—he wanted to know exactly what had taken place here.

The sound of Pegasus's voice shook Seto out of his stupor. He quickly removed his coat and draped it over the girl all the while trying to come up with something he could tell Pegasus.

"Kaiba-Boy what…what happened?! Where is the original Blue Eyes card?! Who is this girl?!" he stammered, glancing frantically from Seto to Kisara to the ruins of his entrance hall. "Well?!"

"I…it…" he stammered standing to face the hysterical Pegasus. For the life of him Seto couldn't come up with anything that could even remotely begin to explain the events that had just taken place. If he hadn't seen it for himself, he would have thought he was crazy. _Maybe I am crazy…_

While Seto tried desperately to come up with some plausible explanation, Kisara looked fearfully around her. She had no idea where she was, how she'd gotten there, or why she was _naked_. She hadn't any clue who the confused looking man in the red-wine colored suit with the long silver hair was, and she was unsure about the identity of the other. He looked like Seto and he felt like him…yet there was something very different about this man from the one that she'd loved once upon a time.

_Perfect, you're in a strange place with strange men and you're __**naked**__… Sounds like an ideal situation to me,_ she thought sarcastically pulling the jacket tightly around her. _Nothing that could be potentially harmful…_

Finally, after many false starts, Seto gave up trying to explain and turned to the one method that had always worked for him. He pulled out his check book and scribbled down a number quite abundant in zeros. "Here's for the damage done to your house," he said handing the piece of paper to the flabbergasted Pegasus. "And here's for the card," he said tossing another thin paper in Pegasus's direction. "Good night. It was a pleasure doing business with you." With that Seto turned quickly on the spot, gathered the four cards from the floor, pulled Kisara unceremoniously to her feet, and proceeded to leave the castle.

Seto barely looked at the girl he was leading alongside him, barely comprehended what he was doing. All he could think was that he had to get back home, back to where things made sense. But as Seto helped Kisara into his jet and began the journey back to Japan he didn't realize that after tonight, things would never be the same…

**sssSsss**

Okay there's Chapter 5. I know it was a bit short but I don't think I could have added anything to make it better.

Well I hope you enjoyed. And please tell me what you thought of it; I really can't wait to hear your reactions.

-Asiera


	6. The Visitor

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Get it? Got it? Good.

AN: Thank you all you who reviewed and or added me/my story to your favs/alerts. (you know who you are) You guys rock!

This weeks Super Special Awesome Award goes to...drum roll please...wowzaCOOLbeans! Because when I asked her _why_ she loved it she responded with one of the best reviews ever: "_First off, I love your descriptions of things. Unlike so may other authors you take the time to thoroughly talk about what is going on. Like with the Blue Eyes Cards flying around, it was actually understandable. Also, you do a great job of staying in character. So many people do Kaiba so OOC, but I think that you've found a good way to portray him. And I absolutely ADORE your Pegasus! He is possibly the most amazing portrayal I've seen of him."_

Thank you sooo much for that amazing review!

Okay enough of my chatter. On with the story!

**Chapter VI**

**The Visitor**

Well I'll be…" gasped Pegasus as he stared down at the glowing monitor in front of him. Shortly after Seto and the strange girl had left him standing speechless in his demolished entrance hallway, he had made his way up to the security room with a single thought in mind: discover exactly what had taken place here. And now he was astounded at what he was seeing. Somehow Seto had managed to release the spirit of the Blue Eyes. …_but how? And what does this mean?_

Even though Pegasus no longer possessed the Millennium Eye, he could still sense that a great imbalance had occurred and he could feel that something monumental was about to happen. A smile spread across Pegasus's face. Despite the fact that this single action could lead to catastrophe, he had been right, this whole thing _was_ about a girl. He chuckled softly to himself. "Hope she's worth it, Kaiba-Boy."

He yawned and stretched. Well that was enough excitement to last him a few weeks. One more glass of wine and then it was off to bed, he _was_ retired after all.

sssSsss

"_**Pegasus. Pegasus awaken. I must speak with you."**_

_**Pegasus's eye shot open. The first thing he noticed was the completely surreal feeling of everything around him, causing him to realize instantly that this must be a dream, or at least a drunken delusion. **__P__erhaps I should lay off the fruit spritzers before bed..._

_**He glanced up at the man that was standing over him. He was clothed in a light cream colored flowing robe and a large turban was wrapped around his head, but it was the Millennium Key which rested around his neck that drew Pegasus's eye. **__Shadi._

_**"Well hello there, Shadi, longtime-no-see. Look, I don't mean to be rude but can we make this quick? I was having a rather enjoyable dream that I'd very much like to get back to."**_

_**Shadi n**__**odded his covered head. "I am sorry for my disturbance but something terrible has happened."**_

_**"Yes I know. I felt it. For even though the Eye is gone, I seemed to have retained my ability to sense these things."**_

_**"I had hoped this was the case. Then you also know that we must act quickly."**_

_**"Yes, yes o**__**f course. But first I must ask you, would this little…abnormality in the mystical alignments have anything to do with a certain spirit of a card being released?"**_

_**Shadi nod**__**ded again. "That is correct Pegasus. For when Kaiba released the spirit of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, he cracked the already weakened barrier that separated the monsters within the cards from our world. And now an evil that has lain dormant for over five millennia has begun to stir; the same evil that nearly destroyed the world so long ago. And though these events were inevitable, it is undeniable that the final battle with the darkness is now upon us."**_

_**"I honestly hope that you don't expect me to defeat it!"**_

_**"No Pegasus. It must be the Pharaoh who defeats this great evil, just as it was before. But everyone has a purpose—a part that they must fulfill—and the Pharaoh cannot do this on his own."**_

_**"Alright what exactly is my "purpose", as you put it."**_

_**"If the Pharaoh**__** is to win t**__**his fight he will need to be at full strength. He will need his past allies; his guardians."**_

_**"Shadi, I'm getting old. Why don't you rephrase that into something a little more understandable."**_

_**Shadi continued unfazed, "the Pharaoh's two mage cards, I assume they are among those that were recovered from the temple?"**_

_**"I suppose you mean the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl?"**_

_**Shadi nodded again.**_

_**"Oooo," said Pegasus, comprehending. "You want me to revive them." He paused. "Just one little problem, Shadi... Those two particular stone slabs, still happen to be in Egypt."**_

_**"Well than I**__** suggest you retrieve them, and quickly too. The Dark Lord will not want the Pharaoh to gain any advantages that may help him in the upcoming battle. " Shadi smiled. "I trust that even the **__**retired**__**creator of Duel Monsters can handle a task as simple as this." And with that he was gone, allowing Pegasus to return to his dreams.**_

sssSsss

Yugi was laying on his bed, staring blankly up at a crack in his ceiling. Boy was he in trouble. He had never seen Grandpa so angry. Even the mighty Pharaoh had been reduced to a something akin to a scolded child by the force of his wrath. It hadn't helped things that Grandpa couldn't get in contact with Seto Kaiba. He had spent almost twenty minutes yelling his lungs out at some receptionist and all he got out of it was something about Seto leaving to some unknown destination, for an unknown amount of time.

Grandpa hadn't heard a word the Pharaoh had said past, "I gave Kaiba your Blue Eyes." And just as he feared, he was grounded. Grandpa even threatened him with boarding school—but Yugi knew that was just an empty threat. Grandpa didn't have the time or the money to enroll him in boarding school. Plus, he needed Yugi to work in the shop…which was pretty much all he was going to be doing for the rest for the break, maybe longer. As Yugi had predicted, he was banned from T.V. and friends, but worst of all, he was banned completely from _Duel Monsters_. Grandpa had even confiscated his deck!

Yugi sighed and uttered a curse word he had heard Joey and Tristan use, but instead of making him feel better, it just made him feel kind of guilty. He rolled over to face the Pharaoh, who was sitting silently on the edge of the bed, eyes glazed over, just as Yugi's had been moments ago. The silence that filled the room was deafening, especially after Grandpa left. He had gone over to Kaiba Corp, refusing to believe that Seto was, in fact, unavailable. He said that he'd sit on that doorstep all night if need be.

Yugi was beginning to think he'd rather scream than let this absolute silence continue when the phone rang, causing both him and the Pharaoh to jump to their feet. Yugi took a step towards the door then stopped; Grandpa had swore that if he left his room for any reason he would skin him alive. Not that Yugi really believed him…he just didn't want to find out.

'_Yugi, aren't you going to get that?'_

"After what Grandpa said he'd do if we left? No way."

'_He's not here. It's not like he'd know if you answered the phone. Besides it could be important…maybe it's Kaiba.'_

"Or maybe it's Grandpa. Maybe he's trying to see if I'll actually listen to him."

'_Yugi that's ridiculous,'_ answered the Pharaoh, but he didn't say anything else about getting the phone.

Despite Yugi's determination _not_ to answer the phone it continued to ring incessantly, causing him to completely reverse his previous thoughts on silence. Even though they had an answering machine, the phone continued its onslaught. It seemed that whoever was trying to reach "the Moto residence" was either too stubborn or too desperate to talk to it. After about ten straight minutes of this Yugi was reaching his limits and the pleading glance the Pharaoh gave him was enough to send him hurdling down the stairs towards the phone. With the Pharaoh hanging anxiously over his shoulder he cautiously picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Yugi! Thank God you answered," greeted the heavily accented voice of Bakura. "Honestly. Don't you ever pick the bloody thing up?"

"Yeah, usually when I'm not grounded it's three rings or under. But my grandpa said he'd skin me alive if I even left my room so I'm a little off today."

"Sorry to hear that Yugi, but we've got much bigger issues than your current standing with your grandfather, my yami's back!"

Yugi and the Pharaoh both gasped.

'_The Thief King?!'_

"The Spirit of the the Millennium Ring?! Bakura you've gotta get out of there! You know what he did to you last time!"

"Yeah I know. I freaked out at first too but then—"

'_He can't be saying he trusts him! Yugi this is extremely dangerous, we have to get him out of there!'_

"Bakura I don't know what he's said to you but you _can't_ trust him."

"Look Yugi, this isn't about me. My yami has vital information about the shadow—"

Suddenly the Pharaoh took control of Yugi's body cutting the young British boy off. "Bakura listen to me, I don't care what that spirit has told you but you must _not_ let him take control of you again."

"Two can play at that game Pharaoh," sneered the voice on the other line, which sounded nothing like Bakura's; it had become rough, cold, and hard. As if on cue, the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was now in control of Bakura's body.

"By order of the Pharaoh I command you to release your hold on his body at once!"

"As soon as the boy wants me gone I'll leave and no sooner!" spat the voice on the other end. "In the meantime I suggest you keep your 'royal decrees' to yourself and listen to what I have to say."

Both Yugi and the Pharaoh were shocked by what the Spirit had said. "You mean to say that the moment Bakura wants you gone, you'll leave his body?"

"That's what I said isn't it? What I have to tell you goes beyond my relations to this boy and my hatred of you; which believe me is pretty hard to do. So if I were you, I'd shut your mouth for once and listen to me before I change my mind." Bakura took the Pharaoh's silence as an affirmative to continue. "I see you've made the wise decision. Well then, listen closely, '_Pharaoh_'. Do you remember a certain Dark Lord Zorc? What am I saying? Of course you do. After all he nearly defeated you five thousand years ago not to mention how he destroyed you precious little home..." He paused allowing his words to sink in and hopefully bring back some unpleasant memories; his efforts were not wasted. "He's back."

That single phrase was enough to instill a terrible fear in the Pharaoh, a fear that seemed grip at his very soul. _The Dark Lord, back...no...no it couldn't be...not again._

"Have I struck a nerve? Well when I say 'back' I mean that he is _coming_; gathering his strength so that he can once again continue in his quest to destroy the world."

The Pharaoh struggled to make words form in his suddenly dry throat."H-how?"

"Now that, I do not know, but I can tell you that he _is _coming. But not yet...no...this time the Dark Lord will be more cunning. He will wait until he is completely indestructible before he shows himself. Though to do this he needs someone from this world to help him. In essence, someone to do his dirty work."

"You mean someone like _you_," snapped the Pharaoh, regaining his voice.

He could practically hear the sneer forming on Bakura's lips. "No I'm afraid not...but you'd like that wouldn't you, '_Pharaoh'_? No, there's one huge flaw in your logic...I failed him. And the Dark Lord never, _ever_, forgives those who fail him. It's actually a miracle that I'm still alive."

"Some miracle," he muttered.

"Look, believe it or not I'm not telling you this just to pass the time! I'm telling you this so you can stop the Dark Lord _before _he comes into his full power! So why don't you look past your blasted pride for once and we might be able to end this before anything happens!"

The Pharaoh seemed surprised. "You don't want him back?"

"Well if I did, this little conversation would be rather pointless, now wouldn't it?"

"Okay, let me rephrase that. _Why _are you trying to help us?"

"My reasons are my own, 'Pharaoh'...you'll just have to _trust_ me."

_'I don't like this Yugi. Trusting him_ _is a mistake I don't intend to make again.'_

_'I don't like it either but it's not like we have a choice. I mean he's got Bakura and all. We'll just have to play his game for now.'_

The Pharaoh sighed, he hated playing the thief's games. "Alright then, what do you propose?"

"Zorc can only use someone who has a strong connection to darkness and the Shadow Realm to help him regain his lost strength, but he will also have to be extremely powerful. So think, who do we know that fits those criteria?"

_'Kaiba?' _suggested Yugi.

_'No, not Kaiba...' _Then it was as if the same thought crossed all their minds simultaneously, "Marik!"

"We have to warn him before it's too late!" yelled the Pharaoh in a voice that was a somewhat less calm than usual. If the Dark Lord did choose Marik as his gateway to this world then he would probably bring back Marik's dark side: Malik. The Pharaoh shuddered as he remembered Battle City; he didn't think Marik could withstand another onslaught from the shadows.

Bakura's voice broke the Pharaoh from his hurried thoughts. "My hikari is telling me some garbage about a three-way-call...hold on a second...stay on the line...okay supposedly it's working now."

The Pharaoh and Yugi waited to hear the soft hum of the phone ringing; waited desperately for an answer but none came. The only sound that came through the receiver was the sound of a busy line. And though they both hoped that the Ishtar's phone was just currently in use, they couldn't stop the creeping feeling of dread that was slowly taking hold. Were they too late?

**sssSsss**

AN: Yes, people, _that_ is a cliff hanger. Please tell me your reactions as I _love_ hearing them.

Also, thank you all for telling me that I you loved the story but please, if you have the time, tell me _why_ you liked it. That way I know what I'm doing great and what I need to work on more.

Finally, you may have noticed in regard to the Bakuras, that I am calling them _both_ "Bakura". This is because I will be using the English version of their names in this story which also means that the hikari's last name will be "Ryou". To me this just makes more sense and I promise, it will not be very confusing for you guys.

Until next time!

-Asiera


	7. Consumed by Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related materials.

AN: Okay next chapter up. I want to let you guys know that it was really hard for me to write this one... but I won't spoil anything. When you read it you'll find out why. I hope you enjoy the results of my struggle. I think it's good, but please tell me your reactions.

**Chapter VII**

**Consumed By Darkness**

Marik Ishtar awoke to the warm feeling of the morning sun as it fell across his face. He remained perfectly still, eyes closed, just savoring the feeling. Today was December 23, his 18th birthday and a full year since the events of Battle City—but he didn't have to, didn't want to think about that dark time in his life. Today was going to be great.

He stretched, got out of bed, and crossed the floor towards the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes and threw them unceremoniously to the floor as he stepped into the shower. He felt the water begin to cascade down his body and smirked; it was funny, the fact that he could get fresh water every day still amazed him, and it was warm water no less.

Fifteen minutes later he was dressed and combing his unruly platinum blond hair. If he was correct—and he was pretty sure he was—Ishizu and Odion were going to throw him a surprise party this evening. They had tried to hide it but he was rather good at discovering things he shouldn't. He'd still give them the surprised act and he laughed as he contorted his face into a perfect look of shock and excitement in the mirror. Nothing could possibly bring him down today, it felt like he was quite literally walking on sunshine.

As he made his way briskly down the stairs to the kitchen he was greeted by the scent of freshly baked pancakes. Ishizu was really pulling out all the stops. She looked up when Marik entered the room; upon seeing him, her face, which was slightly flecked with flour, lit up with a bright smile. "Happy birthday, Brother!" she exclaimed, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Thank you Sister," said Marik returning her hug. "But where's Odion?" he asked looking around the room.

"Over here, Marik," answered a deep voice from the far end of the table. "Happy Birthday, by the way."

Marik could barely see his adopted brother due to the fact that he was sitting behind a rather large pile of brightly wrapped presents. He gasped, "Ishizu, Odion, you shouldn't have."

His sister put her hands on her hips. "Nonsense, Marik! You deserve every one of those and I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Well if you insist," said Marik grinning as his mind began to form possibilities as to what the colored packages might contain. He took his seat next to Odion, still goggling at his huge pile of gifts.

Odion smirked. "A wise answer, Marik. But you know you could have slept in, seeing as it your birthday after all."

"And miss one second of this day? Not a chance!" beamed Marik eying the large stack of delicious looking pancakes Ishizu had just placed before him.

After a particularly good breakfast—Ishizu was exceptionally good at making pancakes—the Ishtar family left for town. Living in Egypt their whole life, they hardly noticed the day's blazing heat, which persisted even this late in December. They strolled through the market, stopping at any stall that even mildly caught Marik's interest, ate a very relaxing picnic on the Nile's cool banks, and watched several magnificent street shows. By now it was evening and even Marik was getting a bit tired. Odion suggested that they go back home saying he'd rented a good movie that somehow involved motorcycles.

Marik smiled to himself. Sure he loved motorcycles but _he_ couldn't be called obsessed. Nevertheless he agreed and they all headed home.

Marik had been so caught up in the day's excitement that Ishizu's and Odion's surprise party had completely slipped from his mind. So when he opened the door and flipped on the lights, the shout of, "SURPRISE! HAPPYBIRTHDAY MARIK!" caught him completely off guard and the look of shock that crossed his feature's was entirely genuine.

It seemed as though half the village was crammed into their suddenly extremely small looking living room. On closer inspection, he saw that half the village _was _packed into their living room. Many of them were acquaintances from around town, a few of them were friends he had made since the events of Battle City, but still more of them were people Marik was quite sure he'd never laid eyes on before.

He glanced questioningly back at his brother and sister who smiled encouragingly and motioned for him to go and join the guests. Needing no more prompting, Marik did as they suggested, quickly disappearing into the throng of friendly faces.

sssSsss

Marik sighed contently and leaned deeper into the couch. The party was everything he could have hoped for and more. There had been music, dancing, and even a small amount of alcoholic beverages. Oh and the presents... He couldn't even remember them all let alone fit them in his room. He couldn't ask for anything more.

"Marik, come in here," called his sister's voice from the kitchen. "We have one more thing to give you."

Marik got up confused, he could think of nothing else they could do for him. "Ishizu what else could you possibly give me? The moon?" he joked.

"No silly," she laughed as he entered the room, "it's your birthday cake."

And sure enough there on the table was probably the most delicious looking cake Marik had ever seen and on top of it glistened eighteen little candles. It was obvious Ishizu had slaved over it for hours.

"Candles too?" he asked awed by her masterpiece.

"Of course," laughed Odion. "How else are you suppose to make a wish?"

_A wish? _He thought as he took his seat. _The only thing I could ever wish for is that everyday be just a little more like today..._

They began to sing, "_Happy Birthday to you_..."

Suddenly he felt a dark energy sweep over him...

"_Happy Birthday to you..._"

It completely consumed him so that he couldn't move, couldn't cry out...

"_Happy Birthday dear Marik..._"

_'Did you miss me Hikari?' _a hard cold voice spoke in his mind.

_No! No this can't be happening! Anything! Anything but him!_

"_Happy Birthday to you!_"

"Blow out the candles, Brother." said Ishizu completely oblivious to the danger.

_'And don't forget to make a wish,' _chuckled the dark voice inside of him.

_Oh gods no! Please don't let it be real! Please make him go away! Please..._

"Happy Birthday, Marik," whispered Malik as he blew out all eighteen candles. And as their flames were extinguished, so was Marik's soul, lost forever in darkness of oblivion.

Unbeknownst to what had just occurred, Ishizu took out a rather large sharp knife to cut the cake. Under any other circumstance, it would have been completely safe, but as Malik gazed upon its shining surface, it turned deadly.

Ishizu suddenly felt the rough presence of who she believed to still be her brother's hand. "Here Sister, allow me..." cooed Malik in a mock kind voice.

"M-Marik?" she questioned in an unsure voice.

"You catch on pretty slowly, my dear," laughed Malik as he twisted the knife roughly out of her hand, causing her to cry out in pain and fear. Odion was by her side in an instant. Both of them looked on in horror as the brother they once knew changed. His platinum blond hair began to stand up in odd places until it framed is face like a twisted crown, his once warm violet eyes became like cold empty pits, and finally the glowing eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. The two stared in fear not at their beloved brother, but at the monster they only knew as Malik.

He chucked cruelly as he saw the realization spread across their faces. "You know I don't take too kindly to being locked in the Shadow Realm for an entire year. Why don't I express some of my feelings to you? After all, it's not good to keep so much anger and rage bottled up like this." With those words he shot a blast of black energy smashing into Ishizu's chest causing her to fly out of the kitchen and crash into a living room bookcase, which showered books down on her motionless body until all that could be seen was her upturned tanned hand. It almost looked as if she was desperately reaching for something just out of her grasp. Malik grinned to himself as he glanced down at the black fire that still engulfed his left hand. _Now this I could get used to..._

Odion stepped forward to run to her aid but was stopped short by the wicked looking bread knife that was being pressed to his chest. He glanced up fearfully meeting the crazed Malik's burning stare.

"_You_," spat Malik. "You're the only reason I was trapped in that damn place for so long! If it weren't for you, I would have the Pharaoh's Power right now and be ruling the world from a golden throne! But _you_..." his voice lowered dangerously, "had to go and ruin everything."

Odion stared calmly back at Malik. Seemingly unaffected by his rage. "Marik, I know you're in there somewhere, and I know you can hear me. Listen to me Marik, you don't have to let him control you. You've stopped him before and I know you have the power to do it again. I believe in you Marik," said Odion a small sad smile appearing on his face.

Malik leaned in dangerously close, his eyes glinting malevolently, "Sorry, my hikari can't hear you right now, in fact he's as good as you are...dead." Instantly the blade was shoved deep into Odion's chest. Malik grinned as the warm dark blood washed over his hands. A look of shock and horror crossed the paling man's face. "Sorry to disappoint," whispered Malik in his ear Then he let the dying man drop to the floor.

"Marik..." Odion whispered softly trying hard to keep up his labored breathing.

Laughing maniacally, Malik proceeded to exit the house, hands out stretched, knocking over everything they came in contact with including the phone which dangled lifelessly, as lifeless as he soon hoped Odion would be.

**sssSsss**

-Asiera


	8. Problem Solved?

Disclaimer: Attention Duelists! My hair is telling me to inform you that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh...or The Abridged Series for that matter.

AN: Thank you all who took the time to read and review! You guys are awesome! Seriously, you're what keep me inspired and posting.

It seems to me that I forgot to give out The Super Special Awesome Award last time. So allow me to rectify the situation by awarding two this week.

First off we have...Vaseshipper, for reviewing three chapters of my story and giving some helpful ConCrit.

Second award goes to Arkmer, for four amazing reviews, mentioning my story on their home page, and filling my head with so many delightful compliments that I couldn't fit it through the door! Thank you oh so much!

And now, on with the tale...

**Chapter VIII**

**Problem Solved?**

For more than half the trip back to his manor, the only sound that could be heard on the Blue Eyes White Jet was the roaring of the wind and the engines. The two on board hadn't said a word since leaving the speechless Pegasus and his tropical paradise behind. Suddenly, it was as if something clicked in Seto's mind. He had gone to Pegasus to eliminate his problems. _B__ut instead of being solved_, he realized with a shudder _they've only just begun._

He turned to look the white haired girl sitting next to him. She quickly fixed her eyes on her knees. _Was she staring at me? _Her hands tightened their grip on the lapels of his trench coat. _Right. She's still naked under there, _he thought uneasily, quickly looking away and pushing the images from earlier out of his head. He realized he'd have to say something but for the second time that night he was at a loss for words. So instead of thinking his next move through as he usually did, Seto said the first thing that came to his mind. "Are you aware that your constant appearances in my mind were causing me to lose a lot of sleep and to fall extremely behind schedule in my work?" He mentally slapped himself. _Where the hell did that come from?_

She fixed the man sitting beside her with a confused look. Her voice uncertain, she spoke, "I'm sorry? I don't think I quite understand what you mean."

He sighed. _Might as well go_ _along with this. _Still preferring to speak to the open sky than to her, he continued, "I've been having dreams...nightmares about you...about your death—"

She winced.

"—for the past few weeks... It's not exactly a preferable work environment."

She directed her gaze upwards from her knees to his face, which was still turned pointedly away from her own. She spoke slowly and softly causing Seto to almost have to lean in to catch her words, "I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain. I promise I had no intention of haunting your dreams or becoming an inconvenience to you. My deepest apologies..." then almost as an afterthought she added, "...Seto."

_Seto...she called me Seto? But only Mokuba calls me that. _"Ignore what I just said, I can't possibly expect someone else to take responsibility for my nightmares. But my title is Kaiba. Don't call me Set—" At that moment he had turned to look at her and his deep blue eyes were immediately drawn into her light sapphire ones. He couldn't, didn't want to look away. She was beautiful. Truly beautiful. But her eyes, they contained so much sadness. He found himself wanting to know why so he could fix it. So he could take all her sadness away.

Yet he was still warring within himself. He didn't want those feelings, they made him feel vulnerable—weak, as if they were breaking down the carefully constructed walls that he had lived safely behind his whole life. And while he hated feeling that way, a part of him was begging, dying for him to let down his walls. To _be_ weak. To _need _someone.

He swore that if he looked into those sapphire wells any longer he would break down into tears, something he hadn't done since his real parents' death. But thankfully—horribly, a static filled voice coming from the jet's intercom broke them from their stare, causing Kisara to jump at the sound of this unexpected intruder.

"_This is base contacting Mr Kaiba. Approaching base, please execute landing procedure. Over_."

Seto remained silent on the other end.

"_This is base contacting Mr Kaiba. Are you there Sir? Over._"

Seto shakily brought his face towards the mike, "This is Set—Mr Kaiba returning to base. Executing landing procedures now. Over."

"_You are cleared for landing Mr Kaiba. Welcome home Sir. Over and out._"

As he came in for the final approach, Seto saw the distant outline of his mansion coming into view, a light layer of frost causing it to shimmer beautifully under the setting moon's glow. A few short seconds later he landed the jet smoothly, and after jumping out himself, helped Kisara down. Roland hurried forward to greet the returning master of the estate. It was apparent from the look on his face that he was a bit surprised to see him accompanied by this strange white haired woman, who was wrapped in his master's favorite trench coat. Though with one look from Seto, he made no inquiries as to her identity or reasons for being here.

The instant Seto stepped through the large wooden doors of his manor he felt his toiled mind ease considerably. This was his home, where he was in complete control. He stopped mid-stride and turned to Roland, causing the older man to stumble a bit at his master's quick cease in forward momentum. "I would like you to escort Miss...Kisara to one of the spare rooms. One of the nice ones. Please make sure she has everything she needs."

"Yes Sir. Right away." Then turning to Kisara, who looked none too happy at sudden separation from Seto, Roland ushered her up a set of stairs and into a long hallway. She glanced over her shoulder at Seto's retreating figure and sighed. _What happened to you, Seto..._ Then she let herself be led down the many twisting hallways of this strange place.

Even if she had been paying attention, rather than deeply absorbed in her own thoughts, she doubted that she could find her way back to the entrance by herself. This place in which Seto lived seemed just as large and complex as the palace. _Is this the palace? And if so, where is the Pharaoh? More importantly, how did I get here? The last thing I remember was... _She shook her head, too many questions. They'd have to wait until tomorrow to be answered.

Roland opened a door to her left and gestured for her to go inside. "I trust you'll find everything to your liking. Breakfast will be served at seven thirty sharp. If you need anything just ring," he informed her, pointing to a strange looking device in the corner. With a curt nod he left, shutting the door behind him.

Kisara looked uneasily about the room. It was beautifully furnished, containing a large mahogany desk situated next to a huge glass door that led out to a small balcony. It offered a fantastic view of the grounds, which looked more magical to her than the home land her tribe had often spoken of when she was little more than a child. There was also a matching dresser with a sizable mirror hanging behind it. In the far corner, there was a door that presumably led to the wash room. But it was the bed that caught and held her attention. It was huge! And it looked as though it was meant for a Pharaoh.

Kisara gingerly ran her hands over it's surface. It was covered with a velvety deep blue comforter and the sky blue sheets underneath felt as if they were made from of the finest silks. _Has there been some mistake, or did Seto mean for me to stay in such a room? _She smiled. _Well__ we mustn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, it will be nice to feel like royalty, even if it is only for a night._

She silently slipped out of the strange item of clothing Seto had given her and, feeling the cool night air biting at her exposed body, quickly slipped underneath the warm covers, placing the coat on the night stand beside her. She stretched out sighing with pleasure as she felt the sheets slip softly over her skin. Then as an afterthought she reached over, grabbing Seto's coat, and pulled it next to her. Breathing in his scent, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

sssSsss

Seto awoke the next morning, and for the first time in weeks, he'd felt like he'd had a decent night sleep. Albeit, he'd gotten back around midnight and his _new_ problems caused his sleep to be a little more restless then usual, but at least he had been _able_ to sleep. _And no more nightmares about the girl...What __**am**_ _I going to do with her? She obviously has no home, no where to go. But I can't just keep her here...can I? _He sighed_, Well first things first. _

Seto glanced over at his alarm clock, _6:30._ _Great, I over slept, but God knows I needed it. _He got out of bed and began his morning routine. _So I'll probably get to the office around seven thirty, _he thought pulling on his shirt. _Finally__ get that blasted paperwork up to date. _He grabbed his briefcase and then he opened the closet where his trench coat usually resided but his outstretched hand closed on nothing. He smirked. _And__ I'll tell Roland to get her some new—I mean, __**some**__ clothes. _

After giving his instructions to Roland, Seto quickly proceeded down the stairs, briskly out the double doors that led out to the grounds, and got into the limo that was waiting to drive him to work.

Mokuba sadly watched his big brother's limo drive off through his window. It was Sunday. Why did he have to work on _Sunday_. _I wish for once he'd stay home and we could just hang out. _He jumped dejectedly down from the windowsill and walked off towards one of his favorite haunts in the mansion. It served as one of the guest bedroom, one of the nicer ones, but due to the fact that the Kaiba Estate rarely had visitors, his secret stash of junk food, video games, and toys remained undiscovered.

He stepped carelessly through the polished wooden doorway, pulled a bag of gummy worms from one of the dresser drawers, and was about to plop down on the bed when he realized that it was already occupied. He froze, piece of candy halfway to his open mouth. He had no idea what to do. He had just decided that quietly sneaking back out of the room was his best option when she stirred. He frantically looked for a hiding place and then quickly dove underneath the bed. _Who is this_ _strange girl?! Why's she in_ _here?! And why was she snuggled up against Seto's favorite trench coat? But more importantly, what the heck am I gonna do now? _He slapped his forehead, hiding under the bed was probably the stupidest thing he could of done. Now he was trapped down here for who knew how long...

Kisara was a very light sleeper and she was well aware that there was someone other than herself in the room. Careful to stay under the protective layer of covers, she hurriedly wrapped Seto's coat tightly around her and looked slowly around the room for the intruder. Well she didn't see anyone...but she did notice a small, very colorful object that strangely resembled a worm poking out from under the bed.

Mokuba was just starting to calm down when a beautiful pale face, framed in a waterfall of ice blue hair suddenly appeared, blocking his escape route. Her stunning sapphire eyes fixed him with an intense stare. He jumped at her sudden appearance, subsequently banging his head on the bed's underside. But instead of yelling at him to get out of here, her pink lips parted in a warm smile. "What are you doing in here little one?"

Surprised by her friendly tone, Mokuba was only able to gape like a fish out of water.

She offered him a smooth hand. "Why don't you come on out of there. It will be easier to talk that way."

Mokuba, still shocked, took the proffered hand and was hefted up out of the cramped darkness into the open room. The strange girl, still smiling that warm friendly smile, patted the spot on the bed next to her. He sat down obediently, waiting anxiously to see what her next move would be.

"And what is your name, small one."

"_Small one"? I'm not __**that**_ _short. _"It's Mokuba…Mokuba _Kaiba_," he answered, stressing the last part. It made him feel bigger, more powerful to know that _he _was in fact Seto's brother. No one would dare mess with him knowing that the head of Kaiba Corp. was _his_ older brother.

She seemed rather taken aback by his words. "So you are related to Seto?" she asked hesitantly.

_Seto? But my brother only let's __**me**__ call him that. Who __**is**__ this strange girl? _"Um yeah. I'm his younger brother. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"Oh, please excuse my manors. My name is Kisara. It is a pleasure to meet you Mokuba…_Kaiba_." The smile returned to her pale features at her last word.

He blushed and looked down, realizing how childish he must have sounded. "So um, Kisara, you're not mad at me. You know for coming in here?"

"No. Of course not. This is your house after all. Is it not, Mokuba Kaiba?"

"Oh you can just call me Mokuba. And yeah it is, but I still barged in and all…sorry."

"There is nothing to apologize for Mokuba. I had a feeling you weren't expecting to find this room occupied. Correct?"

He smiled. All his earlier apprehensions about her seemed to vanish. She seemed really nice. "Actually no. This is kinda like a secret stash/hideout for me."

"Well I promise, that your secret's safe with me."

_Wow, she __**is**_ _really nice, _he thought, deciding instantly that he liked her. "Can I ask you something though? How'd you get here and how come you're wearing my brother's coat?"

"Of course. Seto brought me here last night and as to why I'm wearing his coat…" she paused blushing, "well I don't exactly have anything else to wear."

Mokuba's jaw must have dropped. _Why would Seto_ _bring home a girl with __**no**__**clothes**__? Does this have anything to do with his late night expedition? Or has his workaholicism finally caused my big brother to snap? _However any further inquiries were prevented by the sudden sound of knocking at the bedroom door.

Kisara got up and answered it, cautiously opening the door to reveal the same man who had led her here last night. He bowed. "Good morning Miss Kisara. I am here to escort you down to breakfast, then Mr. Kaiba has ordered me to…" he sighed, "take you shopping."

She nodded.

"This way please—"

But before she could follow him, her hand was grabbed by Mokuba. "That's Okay Roland, I'll take her." And she was quickly dragged at top speed down the hallway. "Oh, and Roland?! I'm coming shopping with you guys alright?!" he shouted back as they ran.

"Yes of course, young master Kaiba," he called after their retreating feet.

Breakfast was a very interesting ordeal. Kisara was fascinated by all the strange magnificent foods that she was introduced to, most of which she had no idea what were.

Mokuba had a great time showing her around the kitchen and when he'd asked her why she didn't know what a microwave or a refrigerator was, She'd told him that where she was from in Egypt, they had no such marvelous devices. This piece of information had perplexed him, but if Mokuba thought that breakfast was strange, he was soon to realize that that was only the beginning. Shopping with Kisara was going to be quite the adventure.

**sssSsss**

AN: I hope you all enjoyed, and I can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter. Also, to all you mystery readers out there—who may or may not have added me to your favs/alerts—I was wondering if maybe you guys could take the time to tell me what you think. It'd be really cool if you did.

Anyway, till next time!

-Asiera

P.S. I know I'm leaving you hanging by leaving the Ishtar ordeal unresolved, but rest assured, you'll find out soon (maybe soon_er _if I am inspired by amazing reviews)


	9. Flight Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Never have, and most likely never will. Be cool if I did though...

AN: And up goes the next thrilling installment of Heart of the Cards! First off I'd like to give thanks and the Super Special Awesome Award to my amazing new beta, Master of the Library, whose help and suggestions helped make this chapter as great as it is. Thanks dude, you're awesome!

I'd also like to thank all of my amazing reviewers for the time they spent telling me how great I and my story are!

**Chapter IX**

**Flight Plans**

_'Why won't they answer?'_ asked Yugi desperately.

_'I-I don't know,'_ said the Pharaoh, trying to sound optimistic for his hikari's sake; In reality he was doubting the prospect of a positive outcome more and more with each passing second.

"Shit," muttered Bakura's yami as the phone's busy tone met his impatient ears for the fifth time. He took in a deep breath to calm himself. "It seems that I've underestimated the Dark Lord's power. The only thing we can do now is try and stop Marik before Zorc's powers have fully developed within him."

The Pharaoh nodded, not knowing that they each had very different opinions on how to "stop" him. "That does seem to be our best option. But how exactly do you expect us to get to Egypt so quickly?"

"Ra damn it if I know." He thought for a moment. "I suppose I could 'come up' with the money necessary. But we need to get there as soon as possible, so that doesn't give me a lot of time to…"

_'Hey wait a minute. Doesn't Kaiba owe us? We might be able to convince him to let us borrow one of his private jets.'_

_'That's a good idea, Yugi and it just might work.'_ The Pharaoh nodded. "Bakura, leave the arrangements to me. I think I can get us on that flight to Cairo by morning but there is one slight problem."

"And what, pray tell, could that be Pharaoh?"

"Yugi's grandfather locked our deck in a safe in his room—"

Bakura scoffed, "and how was the mighty Pharaoh, _Ruler_-of all-Egypt's, deck confiscated by such a feeble, worthless old man? Are you loosing your touch my 'King'?" he mocked.

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes. "Look Bakura, if there is a possibility of facing Marik, or Malik as the case may be, I'm going to need my deck. And there is no way I can open that safe. So if you want my help, you're going to have to help me as well. Besides, _Thief_, something like this should be right up your alley."

"Is that last comment supposed to bother me?" he asked with a sneer. "Very well. The lowly Thief King will help the powerful Pharaoh get his deck back. My my, isn't this an interesting twist of events." Chuckling quietly to himself, he hung up the phone, leaving Yugi and the Pharaoh both anticipating his arrival and at the same time, dreading it.

About twenty minutes later, the sound of a harsh rapping at the front door met their ears. As he opened the door, the Pharaoh was met with the cold merciless stare of a pale skinned boy with sharp features and bushy white hair. "This way, Bakura," said the Pharaoh, stepping out of the way; as he did so he couldn't help but feel he was ushering in a pit viper. Despite these feelings, he proceeded to lead Bakura up the stairs and into Yugi's grandfather's room but he didn't take his eyes off of the sneering boy for a second. Whether or not they were working together, the Pharaoh still didn't trust him. Not even as far as he could throw him, which wasn't very far.

"It's in there," he said gesturing over to a sturdy looking safe that seemed to have been bought for the specific purpose of keeping him from his confiscated cards.

Bakura snorted when he saw the device. This wouldn't even take ten minutes. He sat down and began his work, the Pharaoh standing ever watchfully by the door. "I'm curious," he said after several uneventful minutes had passed, "how do you intend to get us to Egypt so quickly?"

"Kaiba owes me. I'm calling in the favor."

"Hmm, I'm impressed. How did that come to pass?"

"That is none of your business, Thief."

"Alright, but there's no need to get defensive. I'm just trying to make _friendly_ conversation."

"_Right…_" replied the Pharaoh sarcastically.

Several more minutes passed with Bakura's ear pressed firmly against the safe wall, listening to little clicks of the cogs inside. Then finally the door swung open. "There, all done," he said, tossing the Pharaoh his deck.

By the time the Pharaoh's eyes had shot back up, Bakura's demurer and appearance had changed drastically. His all too common sneer had been replaced by a lopsided smile and his cold eyes had become friendly again. It seemed the Thief King had released him, for the moment. The Pharaoh followed suite, leaving the two younger boys to themselves.

Bakura staggered a bit at the sudden change of control but quickly caught himself with the help of Yugi's supportive arm. "Thanks. I guess I'll have to get used to that again, won't I? Oh, and I'm sorry if my yami got out of line or insulted you. He tends to do that…a lot."

"Don't worry about it, Bakura. I'm just concerned about how you're holding up. He hasn't hurt you at all, has he?"

Bakura rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "No. No, he hasn't. Like I was trying to tell you on the phone, he's changed…" But seeing the disbelief in Yugi's eyes he quickly changed the subject, "Look, we'll discuss that later. For now we need to figure out what our next move will be."

Yugi nodded hesitantly, "Yeah Okay. Well there's no way my Grandpa's going to even _consider_ letting me go to Egypt after what happened. So if we're leaving first thing tomorrow, I'm probably going to have to stay somewhere else tonight. Maybe Joey's…" Then he realized that wouldn't work, not with Joey's father still there. Joey's relationship with his father was...strained to say the least and as of late, had become somewhat volatile. Yugi shook his head. He didn't want to make things any worse for his friend.

"Say, I have an idea." Bakura smiled. "Why don't you stay at my place for the night?"

_'I don't like this, Yugi. It feels like we're walking into a trap.'_

_'Do you have a better idea? I want to make sure he's Okay. Besides, ever heard the saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer?'_

_'I suppose both instances apply here…'_

Yugi chose to ignore the Pharaoh's warning. "Okay, Bakura. That would sure make things simpler."

So after scribbling a short note explaining where and why he'd gone, Yugi followed the taller boy down the stairs. He didn't even want to think of how mad Grandpa was going to be when he saw that ripped piece of paper. _Why does my life have to be so unnecessarily complicated? _

"So Yugi," asked the other boy, "What did you do to make your grandfather so angry anyhow?"

"It's a long story." And Yugi began telling the tale of his grandpa's wrath as the two boys walked off happily towards Bakura's house, while their respective dark halves watched the other's movements with unfriendly eyes.

sssSsss

As Seto Kaiba's limo pulled up to the entrance of Kaiba Corp he was met with an unpleasant surprise. Yugi's grandfather, Mr. Moto, was sitting on his doorstep, mug of coffee in hand, seemingly waiting for his arrival. How he had managed to get past the building's perimeter, Seto had no idea.

Seto entertained thoughts of avoiding the old man but they quickly vanished. For as soon as his door opened, Mr. Moto's eyes had locked onto him, and as soon as he had stepped out, the old man had begun to walk purposely towards him.

_Oh great. What does **he** want? _

Mr. Moto stood directly in front of him, blocking any further progression by his short stout stature. The scene looked quite comical, seeing as the younger man towered considerably above him. To a passerby, it would look rather like an angry midget was trying to halt a giant.

Mr. Moto held out his hand expectantly to the rather annoyed Seto, "I believe you have something that belongs to me, and I'd like it back, please."

"And _I_ believe you should get out of my way, Old Man. There is nothing that I have that belongs to you." Seto tried to side step him but Mr. Moto was persistent.

"That Blue Eyes White Dragon does not belong to you. I am demanding that you return it at once."

Seto hesitated. He had looked over his cards last night before going to bed and in doing so had discovered that one of them, presumably the one that the Blue Eyes had passed through, had become completely blank. He considered just giving the old man the card but a strong gut feeling told him it was essential that he keep it. "I'm sorry, Old Man," Seto said in a tone that made it very clear that he wasn't even close to apologetic, "but I have no idea what you're talking about. I suggest that you talk to your grandson about it. Now if you'll excuse me," he said swiftly stepping around this current road block, "I have business to attend to." Despite the obvious brush off, Mr. Moto continued his pursuit of the younger man.

No sooner had Seto entered the reception area, followed closely by Yugi's grandfather, one of his employees whispered in his ear that there was a Yugi Moto on the phone for him. Hoping that he was calling to collect his obnoxious grandfather, Seto took the call. "What?"

The Pharaoh's voice answered him, "I'm calling to collect on my debt."

"What?! I don't owe you anything!" responded Seto angrily, still trying to avoid Yugi's ever persistent grandfather.

"I gave you the last Blue Eyes remember? The one card you couldn't get anywhere else, and I'm hoping that you will help me out as well."

"That's right. You _gave_ me the card, meaning I'm not obligated to repay you in any way. But just out of curiosity, what sort of help am I denying you?"

The Pharaoh's voice switched to lecture mode, "Kaiba, you're making this more difficult than it has to be—"

"Your point?" Kaiba bluntly cut him off. "I'm a busy man and I don't have to listen to your little lectures, Yugi."

The Pharaoh sighed, "I need to get to Cairo, Egypt and I need to get there as soon as possible. One of our friends, Marik Ishtar, is in serious trouble. "

"You mean that psycho from battle city? First off, he's not _our_ friend—I don't associate with your fan club—and secondly I'm not—" He was about to say that he wasn't going to give Yugi one of his private jets to go site seeing in, when he was struck with an interesting idea.

After considering it for a few moments he spoke. "Did you say Cairo? Well it just so happens I was sending a few of my people over there this morning to discuss the opening of a new dueling arena," he lied. "I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble to let you go along with them."

Surprise was evident in the Pharaoh's voice, "you mean you're letting us go? Why would—"

"Be at the Domino City Airport in a half hour. One of my associates will escort you to the plane but you'll have to find your own way back. If you're not on it when it leaves, tough luck." With that, Seto hung up the phone

He turned to Mr. Moto who, during the time of the call, had closed the distance between them and was looking impatiently at him. "Was that my grandson on the phone, Kaiba?"

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding. But if you want to straighten this out, you'll need to talk to your grandson. If he's to be believed, then he'll be on a one way plane trip to Egypt in a half an hour." Grandpa's eyes widened, just as Seto had known they would. "If I were you, I'd hurry."

Seto smirked as he watched Mr. Moto sprint out the door. Everything had gone exactly as he'd planned it. He'd gotten rid of the old man, and Yugi was either in big trouble or out of his hair for awhile. He turned, still smirking, to his receptionist. "Have a plane prepped and ready to leave for Cairo Egypt in thirty minutes. Passenger list Yugi Moto and any other of his little friends that he'll no doubt bring along. Also, get someone to escort him there."

"Yes sir." she responded quickly as he began to walk towards the elevator. "Sir?" she questioned hesitantly.

"What is it?" He asked, stepping through the double doors.

"Are we really setting up a new Duel Dome in Egypt?"

"Not at the moment. But I can't have people thinking that I'm giving out joy rides all over the world." As the elevator doors began to close, the CEO stopped them from shutting. "But draw up the plans anyway, they might be useful someday." _According to Pegasus, there should be a large market for Duel Monsters merchandise there._

The doors closed and she sighed. Seto Kaiba was known to give out some impossible tasks and this was one of them. She quickly grabbed the phone and started dialing, hoping the R&D boys were ready for this one.

sssSsss

The Pharaoh glared at the phone in his hand before hanging it up and turning to Bakura. "We got our flight. We need to be there in a half hour though."

"Finally," said Bakura, as he jumped down from the windowsill that he had been nonchalantly leaning against for the duration of the call. "I was beginning to wonder if Kaiba really did owe you that favor." By the tone of his voice and that telltale sneer on his lips, it seemed that his yami had control over him for the moment.

The Pharaoh scowled. He had no time for Bakura's head games. He was exhausted; he hadn't allowed himself to sleep at all last night. Instead he had stayed awake, making sure the Thief King didn't try anything in the dead of the night.

"Half an hour, huh? Well 'Pharaoh', I think we should get moving than." With that he quickly exited the room, taking the steps two at a time, The Pharaoh close on his heels.

_'So are we taking a cab to the airport or a bus?_' asked his hikari.

He grinned maliciously. _'We're not taking either.' _

Bakura was taken aback by his yami's declaration. _'What do you mean? How else are we going to get there?'_

_'Where does your father keep the keys to that nice convertible?'_

_'In the phone desk. Why do you ask...'_ Suddenly it hit him. '_Wait a minute you can't steal my daddy's car!'_

_'I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm the Thief King remember?'_ Then with minimal effort, he closed the mind connection to save himself the annoyance of hearing any more of his hikari's annoying protests.

Bakura banged his hand worthlessly against his soul door. '_Oh buggeration! I don't think our insurance is going to cover this…'_

Bakura smirked to himself as he pulled the car keys out of the drawer. _I've robbed market stalls that were harder to steal from._

"So how are we getting to the airport?" asked the Pharaoh, pulling the Thief King from his self-praising thoughts.

He held up the sought after keys and jangled them. "We'll take my car."

"You have a car?" he asked confusedly.

"I do now."

Still puzzled, he followed the thief out to the garage and gasped when he saw "his car". It was something the Pharaoh would have expected to see in Kaiba's garage. Even though he knew Bakura's father was rich, this seemed extravagant, even for him.

Bakura swung over the driver side door and started the engine. "Let's go," he said eagerly glancing at the speedometer, gleefully noticing that it went considerably over a hundred mph. _This should be fun…_

sssSsss

The Pharaoh dizzily pushed himself off the leather seat and rubbed his aching head. It had instantly become obvious that this was _not_ Bakura's car and even worse, his yami had no idea how to drive. He also had no concept of red lights or speed limits, making the Pharaoh very, very thankful to be getting out at the airport in one piece. After stumbling out, he glanced back at the once magnificent sports car—which just so happened to be parked in the "immediate loading and unloading only zone". It was sure to be towed... He shuddered, Grandpa's wrath started to pale in comparison to what Bakura would soon face.

The Thief King jumped out, thrilled grin still plastered on his face. "Well that was fun. And look, I got us here with time to spare."

"Yeah, let's just get out of here before the police catch up."

Bakura shrugged and followed the still staggering Pharaoh into the airport.

A few minutes later they met up with the escort Seto had sent and were walking out to one of Kaiba Corp.'s private jets. They had nearly boarded when a loud shout caused the Pharaoh to stop and jerk around.

"Yugi, wait for me!" Both of them turned to see the elderly man puffing towards the plane as fast as his little legs would carry him. "There is no way you're going to Egypt, young man, unless I'm going with you!"

Bakura's eye twitched in frustration. _Oh no...not him…_

"Grandpa!" shouted Yugi, as control shifted.

Grandpa was running full speed towards the plane. And though his shouts were hard to understand, his intentions were perfectly clear. Yugi hesitated, unsure of how best to proceed. Fortunately Bakura made the choice for him. He roughly grabbed Yugi by the scruff, thrusting him into the plane, hollering, "one Moto's enough on this trip, Old Man!" Ignoring Yugi's protests, the Thief King slammed the door shut, and shouted to the pilot to get airborne.

The pilot complied, and Mr. Moto was left behind, watching as the plane accelerated down the runway, lifting into the air towards Egypt. "Oh phooey…I never get to do anything fun anymore…" He shook his head. "That boy's going to be in a whole lot of trouble when he gets back."

**sssSsss**

AN: Hoped you loved! If you did, tell me about it or if not, tell me what I can do better, I'm all too happy to hear!

-Asiera


	10. The Promise of a Thief

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related materials...in America.

AN: I really put in a lot of effort into this chapter and with the help of my amazing beta, am astounded by the end result. I'd really appreciate your opinions on it.

Today's Super Special Awesome is awarded to all my reviewers who have reviewed every chapter consistently. Aka: Arkmer, Angel Dairy, dancers of the night, MagicalMana, And Vaseshipper. You guys are amazing and one of the reasons this story was updated.

Now without any more waiting let us continue the adventure!

**Chapter X**

**The Promise of a Thief**

Yugi stared blankly out the window at the glistening waters of the Indian Ocean. He'd been sitting in pretty much the same position for about five hours now and consequently, he was getting very sore. He looked over at the Pharaoh who was sleeping soundly in seat next to him, the blue seat back slightly visible though his semi-transparent body.

Seeing nothing that amused him, he turned his attention to the Thief King sitting opposite them. He was also starring out into space, carelessly picking his teeth with the point of a deadly looking dagger. _Man I'm glad we didn't have to go through security with him._

As though he could sense Yugi's gaze, the thief turned his cold brown eyes on the boy. Immediately Yugi looked away, closing his eyes as if he had been asleep instead of staring holes in Bakura's head. The momentary distraction caused the thief's hand to slip, resulting in a sharp pain on his gum and the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth. "Anubis take it," he hissed angrily, throwing the knife violently into the seat back in front of him. His free hand shot up to is injured jaw, putting light pressure on the bleeding area.

_By the nine hells, why am I doing this? None of them trust me! I'm not even sure Bakura really does. _

_Ha! Did I really expect anything different? _

_Still they're making this extremely difficult. Maybe I would be better off on my own... _He winced as his mouth twinged painfully. _No, that would mean the possibility of failing and I __**can**__ not, __**will**__ not fail again..._

sssSsss

Yugi was jerked awake as the jet roughly touched down on the Egyptian air strip. He glanced out at the surrounding landscape and was forced to cover his eyes; the setting sun was reflecting fiercely off of the sand dunes, causing them to look like they were on fire.

"We're here..." whispered Bakura, his voice much too close to Yugi's ear. Yugi quickly shrank back but it was a worthless maneuver because the taller boy was already walking swiftly down the aisle towards the cockpit doors. Yugi quickly got up and followed. Once outside the plane, both boys stopped, unsure of what to do next.

"Um, Bakura? You wouldn't happen to know where Marik, Ishizu, and Odion live, would you?" questioned Yugi hesitantly.

"That would be a no. _You're_ his friend, I figured _you'd_ know where he lived."

"I know he lives in Cairo..."

The white haired boy turned to Yugi, fixing him with a glare. "If you think that I'm going to search the entire city for them then you're—" But whatever Yugi "was" remained a mystery because Bakura's rant was interrupted by light tug on his shirt and a small, "excuse me, sir."

Bakura stopped mid sentence and glanced down. There was a small Egyptian girl of about eight or nine years pulling softly on the hem of his shirt, her large brown eyes staring curiously up at him. He rather rudely dismissed her with a wave of his hand and a short, "go away little girl."

At first it seemed by the frightened look in her eyes that she would obey but no sooner had he turned back to Yugi he felt the annoying tugging once again. He turned rather angrily toward her. "Look, I thought I told you not to bother me! Now run along like a good little girl before I lose my temper."

"Bakura," hissed Yugi. "Be nice! You'll frighten her!"

On the contrary though, she seemed quite determined and didn't so much as flinch at the thief's harsh words. "I said _excuse me_, are you Bakura?"

He was rather taken aback. How could this child know who he was? "What's it to you, little girl?"

"My teacher told me to give a message to Bakura." She smiled. "And I know you must be Bakura because I don't think there are many teenagers with white old people hair."

Bakura narrowed his eyes. He would have responded with something that would have sent her crying but Yugi shoved the Thief King aside and quickly knelt down between him and the unruly child. "Yeah he's Bakura and my name's Yugi. Could you please tell us your teacher's name?"

"Sure, her name is Miss Ishtar."

Both Yugi's and Bakura's eyes widened. _This sure makes things a lot easier_, thought Yugi happily. "Do you mind telling us where she is?"

"That's what I'm supposed to do. Miss Ishtar told me to tell Bakura, in English_, _that she is waiting for him in the Cairo City Hospital."

Yugi felt his heart skip a beat. _No...so something did happen..._

"She said it was an important matter and to come right away."

Before Yugi could interrogate her further, she skipped off happily, and he lost sight of her in the crowd.

"Well you heard the brat, let's go."

sssSsss

About twenty minutes later the two "friends" were following a nurse down a spotless white hallway. She gestured towards a door to her left that looked identical to every other one in this place. The door opened into a cold blank room, about which hung the air of sadness and despair. Ishizu was sitting stoically by the room's only furnishing: a small bed dressed in stark white sheets. Upon the bed lay the motionless body of her adopted brother, Odion. His face was a deathly pale, despite his normally dark completion. The only sign that he was still amongst the living, was the soft rising and falling of his chest, prompted by the large respirator to his left. The room was deathly silent, only broken by the soft thump and hiss made by the respirator and the soft beep of the EKG monitor.

The sharp sound of the shutting door caused her sagging head to jerk up and turn towards the source of the sound. She fixed her sad turquoise eyes on the two boys. Only seconds after they focused on the Pharaoh, Ishizu threw her self onto him, weeping uncontrollably. Realization hit him, and though the Pharaoh did his best to console her, he knew he could do nothing to heal her broken heart. Odion was severely injured, perhaps dying, and her brother was lost to the shadows. No one could do anything to stop the grief that was burning through her soul.

sssSsss

Several hours had passed. Odion's condition remained unchanged but during the time elapsed, Ishizu had told them, as clearly as she could, the events of five nights ago. By the time she had finished the sun was well below Egypt's horizon.

"Ishizu?" asked the Thief King in a voice that was much gentler than normal, causing the Pharaoh to stare at him as though he'd just grown a second head. Bakura ignored his look and continued his inquiry. "How did you know to send that little girl to find us?"

Her misty blue-green eyes looked directly in to his hard brown ones. "While I was lying unconscious after...after the attack. I had a vision. And when I awoke, this was around my neck." She reached within the folds of her robe and produced a glittering object, which on closer inspection proved to be an artifact the Pharaoh thought he'd never see again. Lying in Ishizu's outstretched hand was the Millennium Necklace.

"But how?" gasped Bakura, "I thought they had all been destroyed except for the Puzzle."

The Pharaoh nodded. "They were."

"How then?"

"I don't know," said Ishizu. "But I have a feeling that only trouble can come of it."

The Thief King sat still for awhile, deep in thought. If the Millennium Items were mysteriously reappearing then things could be much more complicated than he first thought. He turned back to Ishizu. "But why not send the girl looking for the Pharaoh? Why did you send her specifically for me?"

"Because in my vision I did not see the Pharaoh, only you. I know that you will play a vital role in stopping the Dark Lord. Your goals are honorable and your intentions true. I am sure that you are to be trusted."

Both he and the Pharaoh stared in shock at her. "How can you trust him after all that he's done?!" asked the Pharaoh angrily.

Again her eyes locked on to his. "Because, I know _why_ he's helping. Believe me, Pharaoh, he will not betray you."

The Pharaoh did not protest anymore, yet he still couldn't bring himself to believe Ishizu's words.

Several minutes of uncomfortable silence passed. Finally Bakura excused himself unable to take anymore. Once outside and a good distance from the busy hospital, he relaxed visibly. The harsh, familiar desert wind comforted his tormented mind as it blew his already wild white hair about. He closed his tired eyes and for a moment he allowed all his barriers to slip away and the emotions he'd been hiding for millennia to come to the surface. For a moment, he believed he was home.

Suddenly the thief shook his head clearing away his delusions and coming back into cruel reality. The once comforting desert air had become cold and thick with the feeling of danger.

Bakura cursed himself for letting his guard down and wandering so far from the center of the town. He carefully scrutinized the surrounding darkness for the source of the unsettling feeling which was causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. A flash of gold light and the swish of a cloak to his left caught his attention. He whipped around, pulling his knife as he did so. Seconds passed, nothing so much as moved and not a whisper could be heard over the howling desert wind.

_'Yami? What are you doing?'_ his hikari asked.

_'Quiet!'_ Bakura snapped. Narrowed eyes flicked back and forth, searching for any sign of movement while every muscle in his body tensed, ready to move.

The moment Bakura began to relax, a wicked laugh echoed form somewhere on his right. Again he whirled around but again he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Not that he could see much, the wind had picked up blowing around the endless supply of sand, making it hard to see clearly for more than a few feet in front of him.

"Show yourself, coward!" the thief shouted angrily.

"Who said I was hiding?" whispered a silky voice next to his ear.

Before Bakura could react, something crashed into his chest and threw him several feet backwards through the air. He landed hard on his right shoulder and somewhere in the process, managed to lose his grip on his knife. The glinting weapon landed in the still hot sand just out of his reach. He growled and quickly moved towards its shinning surface.

His fingers were only inches away from the hilt when another blast of dark energy caught him in the side and threw him far away from his best defense. His head made contact with a low stone wall belonging to one of the many abandoned building that littered the outskirts of the town.

The thief tried desperately to get to his feet but the hard blow had caused him to completely lose his sense of balance. Within seconds he felt strong hands pull him roughly to his feet and slam him mercilessly against the wall again. He struggled to kick his attacker off but his limbs were being held firmly in place by the same black magic that had thrown him across the desert floor moments ago.

Completely defenseless, the Thief King could only wince as a hard fist made contact with the side of his face. He spit the metallic tasting blood on the sand and managed to sneer up at his attacker. "What, Malik, are you too much of a coward to face me in a fair fight?"

The cold laugh sounded again from the impenetrable darkness. "You were a fool to ever cross the Dark Lord and an even bigger one for coming out here where you're completely at my mercy."

"Now, why would I be afraid of a puppet?" Bakura mocked.

Another fist snapped the Thief King's face to the side. "What did you say!?"

"You're a puppet, Malik. Zorc plucks at the strings of your cheap pride and you dance like a marionette…it's pathetic." Bakura smiled mockingly as he watched another fist pull back. "That's right. Dance, puppet, dance…"

Cold fury settled on Malik's face as he lowered his fist. "You should be grateful that I have a use for you. Otherwise, I'd destroy you!"

"Forgive me for not shouting for joy," sneered Bakura, still struggling uselessly against the invisible bonds.

His remark earned him another slam onto the bone-shattering hard wall. The thief winced but didn't give Malik the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

"You will learn in time to obey me. At least for your sake, I hope you do."

Still gasping from the pain, Bakura managed to spit out. "No one may command the King of Thieves!"

Malik smirked. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this but in your case, I'll enjoy it.." Suddenly he drew back a hand cloaked in black and purple fire and shoved it deep into Bakura's chest.

The thief screamed in agony as Malik's wandering fingers began to rip his very soul in two. Dark sparks of energy crackled around Malik's hand as he began to withdraw it, pulling part of Bakura's spirit out with it. But instead of the Thief King's soul being removed, Malik was revealed holding his screaming hikari who had up until this point been watching helplessly from his Soul Room. He allowed the Thief King to fall writhing to the desert floor which was wet with his own blood. "If you don't do what I say, I'll kill the boy."

"What makes you think I care?" he gasped from the ground.

"Well if that's the case..." Malik began to squeeze the young boy's shining spirit, causing him to howl in pain as dark power began to arc along his body.

The Thief King winced as his hikari's cries resonated in his ears. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore them but Malik was right. He hadn't meant to but somehow he had developed feelings for the boy that could have passed for his twin. As much as he wished he could, he just couldn't bring himself to let his other half die. "That's enough!" He lunged forwards, hands outstretched in an attempt to strangle Malik.

Malik laughed and easily side-stepped, letting the thief's momentum carry the Thief King past him and into the sand. Grinning maliciously, Malik dropped the still screaming boy next to the thief. Bakura immediately grabbed for his yami, still sobbing uncontrollably from the pain that still burned through his body. "I knew you'd see it my way. But just in case you decide to betray me." He took out a small black dagger from his belt and Bakura's eyes narrowed.

The dagger's blade was decorated with various symbols and runes, all of them seeming to suck the light out of the air around them. The Thief King had seen its like only once before. "A Soul Dagger!"

"Correct. I assume you know how they work. You make a blood oath and then, if you fail to keep it…the black magic causes your soul to devour itself from the inside out."

Bakura winced, even he couldn't withstand that kind of pain.

Malik knelt down next to him and grabbed Bakura's hand roughly. "Swear it."

The Thief King hesitated, his pride refusing to yield. "I serve no one!"

"You will serve or you will die!" Malik hissed menacingly.

"I'll…" A pain wracked-cough. "I'll do it…"

Both Malik and Bakura glanced over at the hikari, who was reaching for the dagger. "I'll take…the oath…"

Malik burst out laughing. "This is incredible! After all you done to him, the poor boy still wants to save you!"

Bakura glared at his other half. "What are you doing, boy!? Stay out of this!"

The British boy managed to smile painfully. "It's okay…Yami…I don't…want you to suffer…anymore…"

"Fine by me." Malik turned his attention to the boy. "One servant's as good as another…" He grabbed the boy's wrist…

But Bakura caught the dagger on its descent, digging his palm into the blade, just as Malik knew he would. "I swear to serve you." Blood dripped from his hand on to the hot sand. "Just leave the boy out of this."

"Ha…" Malik sneered and pulled the dagger free of the Thief King's grasp. "Awfully noble of you, wasn't it?"

"Don't be foolish." Bakura sneered, hiding his concern beneath arrogance. "I need that boy to live. If he dies, so do I."

"Well then, you won't mind if I do this." Malik gestured and Bakura felt himself being shoved backwards into a building wall. "Just a little extra incentive for you to keep your word…" He grabbed the hikari and hauled the boy to his feet by his hair.

"No!" Bakura's scrabbling hands found his knife and he flung it at Malik with all the strength he had but the dark spirit and his other half vanished in a swirl of shadow, leaving the knife to sail through the empty air harmlessly.

"No…" Growling in anger, the thief punched the wall beside him…then again….and again…and again until he could feel his bones aching and blood running between his fingers. "I'm sorry Hikari…I failed you too..."

But it wasn't until he felt wetness on his face that he realized how much he had failed. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Bakura, The King of Thieves, was crying.

**sssSsss**

-Asiera


	11. Dining with a Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related materials. Might be a good thing though, because there hasn't been a single Duel Monsters game in this story yet!

AN: Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers, your thoughts and continued support mean so much to me!

Today's Super Special Awesome Award goes to, millenniumthief, for the best review I've gotten thus far. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

**Chapter XI**

**Dinning with a Dragon**

Ever since Solomon Moto had left, Seto's day had been pretty uneventful. Uneventful, but very productive. As of now, he was completely caught up with everything he had been letting slid due to those unpleasant dreams. He smiled down at his now clear desk. _Well I thought this was going to take all night. _He glanced over at the clock on the wall, it read four thirty. _Hmm, Mokuba will be pleased. I should be home in time to have dinner with him. _The CEO reached over to his phone and began to dial his brother's cell.

sssSsss

"No Kisara. Now it's on backwards," laughed Mokuba.

Kisara sighed. This was the fifth time she had come out of the small cubical Mokuba called a dressing room and she still apparently couldn't put the strange garment on right. She went back in, exasperated. _No article of clothing was ever this complicated back in Egypt._

Mokuba laughed again. They had already spent most the day here and had only managed to successfully try on and select about five outfits. She had been getting the hang of it too but then Mokuba had found this amazing silver and blue dress that he imagined would look just gorgeous on her. Unfortunately, it was also extremely complex and Kisara was having a heck of a time getting it on correctly.

The younger Kaiba's phone rang. Still laughing slightly he answered it. "Hello. ..... Oh hi Big Bro! ..... Actually we're still at the store. ..... Yeah I went with them. ..... Well we're almost done here. Hey I've got an idea! Why don't we go out instead? ..... Sweet. Yeah we'll meet you there in about fifteen. ..... Okay, bye."

"I didn't know you talked to yourself."

Mokuba glanced up and smiled. She had the dress on right and boy did she look pretty in it. "I wasn't. I was talking to my brother."

"Seto is here?" she questioned in surprise, glancing hurriedly around the women's department for the man who under no circumstances would ever set foot there.

"No." He held up his cell phone as if that would explain everything.

"Um...alright." Though still confused, she decided to drop it. "Well is it on properly now?" she asked doing a small twirl.

"Yeah! It looks really good on you too."

She blushed slightly at the complement. Kisara had never really considered herself to be pretty, in fact, she'd never really given it much thought.

"Well we better get going. We're meeting my brother for dinner. It's a really fancy place so you can just leave the dress on."

She nodded and the three proceeded to the checkout counter—which Kisara of course, found fascinating—and out to the limo.

sssSsss

Seto was, by nature, early and was impatiently waiting for the others to arrive. He was beginning to contemplate calling Mokuba again when he heard the sound of the door to his private dining suite opening. _About time,_ he though, glancing over. What he saw nearly caused him to spill the iced tea he had just lifted to his lips all over himself. There in the doorway stood Kisara but it was what she was wearing (or what she wasn't) that was causing him to stare.

His stiff trench coat had been replaced by a stunning sky-blue dress. It had a low V-neck (need I say more) which was decorated with delicate silver stitching. The shinning embroidery continued below the tight bodice adding to the effect that she was glowing and wonderfully complemented her hair. Below this, the fabric fell loosely about her slender waist ending just above her knees.

Seto quickly regained his composure. Standing, he pulled out one of the empty seats for her.

Kisara took a steadying breath and began to walk slowly and carefully to the proffered seat. She was alright with the dress but not with the strange, extremely uncomfortable shoes that made her feel as if she would topple over with each step. _Ra, I didn't even wear shoes in Egypt! _She managed to nearly make it to the chair without incident but at the last second she tripped and fell full force onto Seto's chest. Both teens froze, a bright red flush spreading across each of their faces.

Kisara quickly regained her footing and began a hurried apology, "I'm sorry! I suppose I haven't gotten used to the...'heels' just yet." She smiled weakly.

Seto nodded briskly and walked hurriedly back to his seat. _Did I just...blush! What the hell is wrong with me?_

Mokuba, who had not missed the result of Kisara's little slip up, was trying desperately to contain his giggles as he passed his brother the now unneeded coat. _Does my brother actually have a crush?!_

After everyone was seated, an uncomfortable silence hung about the table that no one seemed willing to break. Thankfully, a waiter came in with the menus at least giving them an excuse to stay silent.

Kisara looked down at the stiff paper and was, for about what seemed the millionth time today, completely lost. She had never heard of any of the things on here. _Who is Dr. Pepper and why is he in the drink section? _She sighed and turned to Mokuba who was on her right. "Mokuba," she whispered, "could you please order for me? I have no idea what any of these items are."

"Um, sure."

"Thank you."

Shortly after the orders were placed, a server came in carrying a tray of drinks. Now of course, being a kid and having a sweet tooth, Mokuba had ordered a soft drink for both himself and Kisara. This small action seemed harmless enough but as the younger Kaiba was soon to discover, would lead to catastrophe. For as Kisara lifted the glass to her lips the little fizz bubbles popped and tickled her nose. She startled and in her surprise her drink flew from her hands and dumped it's contents allover the man sitting across from her: Seto.

A deathly silence fell over the group as the young CEO gaped down at his now soaking lap and chest.

"Oh my Ra!" she exclaimed throwing her head face down on the table in an attempt to bow to him. "I am _so_ sorry! Please forgive my clumsiness! Believe me, I had no intention of soaking you in this strange bubbling substance!"

Seto looked from the girl laying prostate on the table to his drenched clothes and back again. As much as he tried to hide it, a smile was twitching at the corner of his lips. Finally he couldn't hold it back it anymore and _Seto Kaiba_ broke out in laughter. He, the richest man in Japan, the one person that even the bravest wouldn't dare cross, had just been turned into a human napkin by a charming white haired beauty, and for some strange reason, he wasn't even slightly ticked off. In fact, he found the whole thing to be hysterical.

Kisara lifted her head nervously to look at the still laughing man across from her. _He's not mad? Maybe he remembers..._ She shook her head. No, she could tell that he didn't...not yet anyway. _I should just count myself lucky that he didn't have me beheaded because of my clumsiness._

His laughter subsided to chuckles and he shook his head. "I was going to replace this suit anyway." And with that he excused himself to the restroom.

Mokuba sat dumbstruck for several moments, rendered silent by the small miracle that had just occurred. _He laughed...and smiled...she...maybe she could... _He turned to Kisara who was awkwardly looking down at her clasped hands. "You made him laugh," blurted Mokuba casing her to jump slightly.

"I-I didn't mean to..."

Suddenly she felt herself being suffocated by two, surprisingly strong, small arms that were tightly wrapped around her middle. "Thank you. I don't know what you did but he hasn't laughed like that since forever."

Unsure of what she had done and what exactly Mokuba wanted her to do, she just settled for smiling down at his black messy haired head.

sssSsss

Seto had given up trying to get the extremely sticky brown substance out, the extra water was just making things look worse. He sighed and picked up his trench coat. _I guess it's now my turn to use this to cover up an absence of clothing... _He stripped off his shirt and over coat, which were beyond help, and closed the coat over his bare chest. He would have to live with the pants for now. He glanced up at the mirror and glared once he realized he had still been smiling. _What is it about this girl? Why does she make me feel...like this._ He shook his head and walked off to rejoin the others deciding to unravel these unwanted feeling later.

sssSsss

The rest of their evening was pretty uneventful compared to what had already happened. Kisara managed to get through it without anymore accidents and though the conversation was a bit sparse, at least it existed.

After dinner, they all rode back to the mansion in Seto's limo. Kisara, who was still fascinated by what she called "the horseless chariot", had her face plastered up against the window for the whole ride, ogling at the weird torches that illuminated the road. Again Seto caught himself smiling and again he was unsure as to why.

As soon as the vehicle came to a halt Seto stepped quickly out and attempted to make a break for his room where he could safely think things over. Unfortunately, he was stopped by his younger brother calling out, "hey Seto! Aren't you going to show her to her room? I think she still finds this place a little confusing." He smiled. " I guess I could do it if you're busy, but I kinda promised Roland that I'd would finish cleaning my room today," he made up quickly. Honestly he just wanted his older brother to get some alone time with her. _Maybe she can make him more like his old self. _He crossed his fingers hoping Seto would buy his excuse and waited for his brother's answer.

_Great, he's backed me into a corner. If I leave now it'll seem rude, or that I don't care about his room being clean which I do—it's a wreck. _"Alright," he sighed, "I'll take her."

Mokuba grinned and ran happily past him. "Thanks Big Bro!"

"Yeah, but your room better be clean when Roland checks it this time. I _will_ ask him."

"Okay!" he called back as he ran through the front doors, now worrying about completing the impossible task of excavating the carpet from beneath its concealing layer of clutter before dawn.

Seto shook his head and turned to Kisara. "Well come on, It'll be a good chance to give you a basic tour of the mansion anyway. That way you should be able to find your way around here without Roland's assistance." Speaking of whom, he should have left the tour to Roland or one of his other servants but for some reason he didn't. It was like he wanted to be around her and at the same time, dreaded it. Reasons and excuses aside, Seto began to lead her through the twists and turns of the hallways, explaining where all the various side passages and doors led to.

It was in a particularly long and dim hallway that Kisara's soft and somewhat timid voice stopped him. "Seto—I mean Kaiba."

He turned and looked at her.

"Do you...remember anything from...the past? I mean before all of this." She gestured around her.

He looked at her in a confused manner. "I'm not sure what you mean. Are you referring to my childhood?"

She shook her head. "No, I meant before that...I meant, do you remember anything about..." she hesitated, "...us?"

He froze. The few and far between visions form the Pharaoh's Memory World flashed through his mind. But instead of facing them, admitting that they were in fact real, conceding that everything was not always explainable, and facing the Gordian Knot of feelings inside, he crushed all the hope in her sad blue eyes with one shake of his head.

"No. I don't believe in all that magic garbage involving a past life in Ancient Egypt. Never have, never will." With that he turned and continued down the hallway.

"Oh," was her barely audible reply. She hung her head allowing her long exotic hair to fall over her eyes. Eyes that were watering with sadness and the empty feeling that came from being alone in a strange world and not even being able to turn to the man she loved for help.

The rest of the tour went by in what felt like a haze as she tried to remember all the paths of the large mansion and to where they each would lead her. Finally they were at her door. Seto opened it for her and she slipped inside. She then turned to thank him, but overestimated the distance he was standing from her and ended up face-to-face with him, with only a few inches to spare between their two forms. She immediately tried to back away but it was as if some unseen force was holding her in place, compelling her closer to him instead of away.

Seto's breath caught in his suddenly dry throat. When she had turned her soft hair had brushed against his skin, bringing even more hidden emotions and feelings to the surface and causing more forgotten memories to be remembered. Now he found himself held captive by her light blue eyes and being pulled closer by the same force that had a hold of Kisara.

For a moment it seemed as if they might...no, their faces were mere centimeters apart when suddenly Seto broke free and pulled back. Without a word he turned and quickly walked away, leaving Kisara more alone than she had been in over five thousand years. Her knees gave and she slid down the door frame clutching her arms tightly, tears streaming down her porcelain face.

Seto didn't stop until he was inside his room and had locked the door with his shaking hand. He leaned against its smooth surface and held his head as a cold empty feeling spread through him. He doubted that he would get much sleep tonight.

**sssSsss**

AN: Almost! I know, I know. I'm being as cruel to you guys as Seto Kaiba. Making you wait like forever for an update and then they don't even kiss! But trust me it's way cooler like this.

-Asiera


	12. Flee From the Darkness

Disclaimer: The Rod commands you to believe that I am the owner of Yu-Gi-Oh! ...or it would if this bloody thing worked via the Internet. /Sigh/ Alright I don't own it...

AN: Well I bet you guys didn't expect to hear form me again so soon, but here I am!

This up-date's Super Special Awesome Award goes to all my mystery readers. I'd give it to you by name but I don't know who you are...pity really.

**Chapter XII**

**Flee From the Darkness**

It had been nearly an hour since Bakura's sudden disappearance. At first the Pharaoh had been somewhat relieved by the thief's absence, but the fact that it was so prolonged was beginning to worry him. _Bakura's not so rash that he'd try to go after Malik by himself. But then…where is he? What's happened to him?_

As if in response to the Pharaoh's thoughts, the Millennium Necklace fastened around Ishizu's throat suddenly began to glow. She gasped as her fingertips made contact with its shinning surface. Her eyes went out of focus as the room before her shifted into a vision of swirling desert sand and shadowed figures.

"What did you see?" asked the Pharaoh in a cautious voice when it looked as if her vision had come to an end.

She looked up at her king with fearful eyes. "The Thief King is in terrible danger...Malik..."

At the sound of that name the Pharaoh stood, his duel disk activating. He was about to walk out the door in search of their enemy when someone who might have been just as bad stumbled through it.

"Bakura!" gasped the Pharaoh.

The Thief King looked as though he'd gone through the nine stages of hell and back, yet he miraculously was still able to stand before them. Blood was spattered over his entire body to which copious amounts of sand was sticking to. He was covered with bruises and clutching a roughly bandaged hand to his chest. Dark sticky blood was soaking through the crude wrapping, staining the fabric of his shirt where it made contact. His face, barely visible through the blood and grime, was set in a pain racked grimace.

_How in Ra's name did he get past the front desk! He looks like the walking dead!_ The Pharaoh stepped forward and attempted to offer a supportive hand but seeing the act of accepting the kind gesture as a sign of weakness, the thief violently shook him off. In the process, he managed to lose his balance and fall hard to the cold floor. "I don't need your sympathy, 'Pharaoh'!" he spat from the ground.

Anger once again filled the Pharaoh. _Why is he being so stubborn! Can't he see that we're only trying to help him?_ He glared down at the creature wincing in pain at his feet. _How could I ever have felt pity for him? He's done nothing but cause pain a suffering all his miserable life..._

_'But Yami,_ _he's got Bakura and Ishizu said we could trust him...'_

_'I trust him about as much as I trust an asp.'_

Bakura regained his some of his composure as the worst of the pain subsided and he lifted himself up on shaking arms. He glared up at the spiky haired teen standing above him and seethed as he imagined what this scene must look like to an observer. _I bow to no man...especially this so called "Pharaoh"._ Still wincing with pain, he managed to keep eye contact. "H-he's...gone," he coughed.

"Who's gone?" asked the Pharaoh.

"Who do you think?!" the thief shouted up at him.

As the Pharaoh looked down on him, he didn't see the Thief King's true emotions, only hatred and pain. But deep within those cold brown eyes, buried underneath the anger that always seemed to be with him, was desperation, sorrow, and guilt.

"Are you saying that—" The Pharaoh began, but Bakura cut him off.

"M-my hikari..." He stood and managed to match eyes with those of the ancient ruler, his brown ones dark and flashing. "Malik…I couldn't…couldn't stop him."

A deathly silence filled the room. Ishizu put her hand to her mouth as she realized what must have happened.

_Bakura…no. He trusted this, this thief and look where it got him._ Suddenly the Pharaoh lunged forward, grabbed the Thief King roughly by his bloody shirt, and pinned him to the hospital wall.

_'Yami!' _shouted Yugi in disbelief.

Even the Pharaoh was shocked by his own actions. He was usually a very kind, calm, and understanding person but every time he looked at the thief, he felt rage boiling through his veins. Perhaps it was all the pain the thief had caused him in the past but right now the Pharaoh didn't care. This man had caused him to lose yet another friend to the shadows and he wasn't going to take it anymore. "What do you mean you couldn't stop him?!"

Out of habit, the familiar sneer covered the thief's face. "What, do you think, I just let Malik take him?" He winced as the Pharaoh's grip tightened. "I _need_ him in order exist in this world."

"You selfish bastard! You've never cared about anyone other than yourself in the whole of your miserable life! I can't believe I ever felt an ounce of pity for you! A creature such as yourself doesn't deserve it."

"Well it's a good thing I don't want it then. I'm just telling you so you can get your precious little friend back and so that I can insure my continued survival in this world. I could have just not told you. It's not as if you would have even noticed. You never did before, _your majesty_!" Bakura's voice was just as intense and dark as the Pharaoh's.

The Pharaoh glared as anger burned within him. He leaned in and his voice lowered dangerously. "You disgust me."

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual." Bakura narrowed his eyes and a dark glint appeared them. "Now release me."

"Listen to me thief! The only reason I'm not leaving you to rot in your own self-inflicted misery is _because_ of your hikari." At those words he allowed the thief to fall to the floor. "Also I like to keep a close eye on my enemies."

"Pharaoh!" came Ishizu's pleading voice. "Please don't say those things. Bakura is _not_ the true enemy. My Millennium Necklace has shown me that you must trust him and that he will play a vital role in the defeat of the Dark Lord."

"And just what role might that be?" asked Bakura as he pulled himself off of the floor. He was just as bewildered by her words as the Pharaoh was.

"That I do not know but I am sure that without his help, my king... you will not win this age old war and the world—everyone we love—will be completely consumed by darkness...just as my brother has been."

Both the Thief King and the King of Egypt looked at each other in disbelief. "Are you saying that the fate of the world—our lives—rests partially in _his_ hands?"

Ishizu solemnly nodded her head. "Without him, you will lose."

"Heh," Bakura scoffed at the notion. "What do I care if the world falls into darkness or not? I'll survive either way and still get what I want."

"Is that all you care about?" the Pharaoh snapped.

"As a matter of fact, it is." The Thief King rounded on the ruler. "Considering the fact that your uncle ordered my entire village slaughtered to forge the Items, all I have left is myself!"

the Pharaoh's eyes flashed in anger. "My uncle did that without telling my father or anyone else! My father would have never done such a thing to save Egypt!" He narrowed his eyes and leaned in close. "And before you say anything about only having yourself, why don't you remember who was just kidnapped by Malik?"

Bakura glared at the Pharaoh, his eyes flashing. "How dare you..."

Before either could finish their threats, Ishizu's necklace flashed and her face grew cold with fear. "You must leave. Now! Malik, he is coming!"

Bakura had already started moving towards the door when the Pharaoh shouted, "no! We can't just leave them here. He'll kill them!"

The thief paused mid-stride. "So?"

"Bakura!" The Pharaoh clenched his fists but knew that getting angry and yelling at the Thief King would get them nowhere. "If Malik gets them, he'll send them to wherever he sent your hikari. Not only that but if he's as powerful as you say he is, then we need all the help we can get."

Bakura hesitated for a single second before turning around, his familiar smug smirk in place. "Who knew you actually had a brain under that tricolored hair of yours?" He walked purposefully towards the still unconscious Odion and grabbed the bed handles and began to attempt to move the heavy iron object.

"What are you doing?" asked the Pharaoh, still unsure of Bakura's intentions.

"Probably one of the more stupid things I've ever done."

The Pharaoh remained motionless.

"Helping you! Now will you get over here and help _me_?! This was _your_ idea!"

In a heart beat the Pharaoh was at his side assisting the thief in rolling the bed and various important machines out the door. "But how is this going to do anything? We can't take him far from the hospital, he's still in a coma."

"We don't need to. Think about it Pharaoh, Malik only wants you and perhaps the Millennium Items, so as long as we get Odion and Ishizu out of his immediate way and give him something else to chase, they should be fine."

The Pharaoh nodded and they continued to roll the heavy objects down the long hallway. Bakura's head was swimming but he managed to keep pace and prayed to Ra that he wasn't going to pass out. Ever since losing his hikari his strength had begun to trickle away and now he felt like only a shadow of his former self. _Ha, how ironic,_ he thought grimly.

Finally they found an empty room and pushed the unconscious man inside.

"Now," panted Bakura, "We need to get out of here ourselves. Ishizu give me—I mean, give the Pharaoh your Millennium Necklace. That is, unless you'd like to fall victim to Malik's greed too."

She consented immediately, removing her necklace. "Thank you both for your help but Bakura is right. It is no longer safe for you to remain in Egypt." Before handing the relic to the Pharaoh she touched his forehead. Directions to what her voice told him was a friend and a way out of Egypt flashed through his mind. "Our paths will cross again soon my king, I have seen it."

"Thank you Ishizu. Until we meet again." Then he quickly left the dark room, Bakura right on his heels.

As soon as they left the hospital Bakura felt a huge shift in the atmosphere, he could literally feel the darkness clinging to him, trying to drag him down into oblivion. The Pharaoh obviously felt the shift as well because he changed his pace from a brisk walk to an all out run. Bakura struggled to match his pace, but he refused to admit that he was having even the slightest difficulty keeping up.

Though after what felt like an eternity of running to the light headed thief, it became apparent that his already weakened body could no longer endure this torture. His legs screamed in agony with each step, his chest ached as it struggled to keep up his labored breathing, his slit hand throbbed unbearably with each beat of his exhausted heart, and his head felt as though it was about to explode. Yet even as the blackness of unconsciousness began to cloud his vision he never stopped, never admitted that he was too weak to go on. He barely felt the pain as he fell to the ground. His eyes closed and he knew no more.

sssSsss

The Thief King awoke to perhaps the most annoying voice he'd ever heard. It caused a fresh jolt of pain to shoot through his already aching head with each word. Instinctively he reached for his hikari but found only a black empty hole where his Soul Room used to be. Instantly he was brought back to reality as the painful memories rushed through his mind.

Bakura lay there a few more minutes as he buried his emotions under his well worn mask of anger, rage, and that all too common sneer. Upon opening his dark brown eyes and blinking several times to accustom himself to the bright light that was streaming through a window above his head, he saw that he was in a long cylinder like room lined with rows of cushy looking chairs and with small circular windows lining its walls. It took him several minutes to realize that he was once again on a plane.

He sat up gingerly, seeing as how almost every part of his body was extremely sore, especially his hand. He glanced down at the mark that made him a servant to Malik and in turn, The Dark Lord Zorc. _Again...just like it was before. My mission, my revenge, everything, gone..._ In his rage he viciously punched the wall with his injured hand, both relishing in and hating the pain. _No…I can't quit, not now. I must complete my mission. I will destroy Zorc and his puppet Malik for what they've done!_

The noise Bakura had just created by attempting to assault the plane's hull caused the owner of the very abrasive, slightly musical voice to glance over. "Aww Bakura! Yugi-Boy and I were wondering when you'd finally wake up."

_Oh gods not him. Anything but him. _But unfortunately, sitting several rows up and across from him was the previous owner of the Millennium Eye, Maximillion Pegasus, still dressed in his typical champagne-colored suit. He looked like he had just been in deep conversation with Yugi who was seated next to him, holding up what looked to be his two magician cards.

"How the bloody hell did I get on this contraption?" asked the Thief King in an irritated voice, using one of his hikari's expressions. They seemed to be wearing off on him...

"Weeelll…" Pegasus smiled smarmily. "Luckily for you I ran into you and the Pharaoh right outside my latest dig site. He told what was happening and to make a long, rather tedious story short, I escorted the two of you to my private plane and now we're mere hours away from Industrial Illusions."

Bakura still seemed confused. "The last thing I remember was running like mad out in the middle of the desert—"

"Yeah," said Yugi, "but then you sorta passed out." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "My yami, carried you the rest of the way..."

Bakura's eyes narrowed to slits. "He what?!"

The younger boy winced. "Well it wasn't as if we were going to just leave you there and you were out cold so..."

The thief just continued to glare. _Great! Just another demeaning occurrence to add to the already staggering list! Ra I hate this! _"I would have rather died then be helped by that slime claiming to be a great Pharaoh."

"Hey!"

Seeing the hostility between the two, Pegasus quickly stepped it. "Look boys there's no need to bring this to blows. The important thing is that you're both safe."

"Who the hell asked you?! You don't have a clue what I lost back there!"

Yugi looked at him with a shocked expression. _Does he actually care about his hikari?_

The Thief King realized his slip up but for the moment, he didn't care, he just kept on yelling, taking out his built up anger on this man who had absolutely no fault in what had happened. "And for what?! So we could discover that Marik's soul has been devoured by the shadows again, Malik has taken over his body, Odion was nearly killed, and to pick up a blasted Millennium Item that was supposed to be destroyed?!"

Bakura's words echoed through Yugi's head, "_he's changed…" Could it really be? _

"The stupid necklace doesn't even work! As if I'm part of some grand plan to save the world from darkness!"

Yugi found that if he looked at the Thief King in this new light, it was hard to hate him...

_'Yugi you can't believe—'_

_'But Yami, what if he has changed?'_

"But what do you know?! You're just the retired creator of Duel Monsters; old, broken, and lost without your Millennium Eye to guide you! You have no comprehension of the agony I've been through! None of you do..."

_'It will only make a true difference if he shows it.'_

Pegasus, who had remained quite calm throughout the thief's tirade, finally spoke, looking very bored. "Are you quite finished yet? I was actually going to thank you for relieving me of my curse. And Bakura, don't think you're the only one who has experienced pain. I'm not saying that I've felt anything close to what you have. Honestly, if what the Pharaoh has told me is true, I doubt many could have survived everything you've been through but hating the world for it isn't going to help anything."

"Does it look like I care what you think?!"

Pegasus merely shrugged. "Just a piece of advice. Take as you will." Then turning back to Yugi said, "now Yugi-Boy where were we..."

Bakura angrily rose to his feet and stormed to the back of the plane where he could be alone. As he sat down he felt a painful jolt coming from the place where his hikari's Soul Room used to be. He clutched at his chest. _Be strong hikari. It's the only hope we both have to make it through this..._

sssSsss

Thousands of miles away, in a dark expanse swirling with cold dark shadows, a spirit of a young boy with messy white hair stirred. He shakily pushed himself into a sitting position opening his warm brown eyes as he did so. It was useless though, for it seemed no light was able to enter this place.

Bakura shivered and pulled his knees to his chest as a deathly cold wind relentlessly blew past him, carrying with it the horrible stench of fear. Terrified, the young boy reached out blindly for a source of comfort and strength, but found only the same cold gaping blackness that was engulfing him where his yami's Soul Room used to be. He felt a tear slide down his cheek as he realized he'd finally got the wish he'd prayed for most of his life. He was alone.

He tried to hold back the waves of sorrow that threatened to cascade down his face, to be strong and not weak like his yami had always said he was and had despised him for, but he just couldn't. Finally he let the despair and sadness wash over him and crumpled to the hard floor sobbing loudly.

But it turns out, Bakura wasn't as alone as he thought he was, for there was another spirit wondering silently through the shadows and Bakura's loud sobs attracted it.

"Hello? Is anybody out there?" called a faint, very strangely accented voice.

Bakura froze biting back more cries. He hesitated, unsure of how to best proceed. _Is there really someone else here or is it just the shadow magic trying to trick me…_The voice called out again, this time closer and more desperately. "Please! Is there anyone there?!"

Bakura took in a deep breath gathering his courage and tried to sound as brave and unafraid as his yami but what came out was the plea of a scared child. "Who's th-there?"

The spirit stopped. It was actually rather fortunate that Bakura found his voice, because the other boy had by chance wandered over to his location and would have tripped over him if he hadn't spoken. The spirit reached out a semitransparent hand and Bakura jumped as he felt something touch his shoulder. "Bakura?" the voice inquired apprehensively.

Bakura shrank back from who he believed to be a stranger's touch. "Y-yes."

The young boy heard the other spirit sigh in relief. "Oh thank the gods! I thought I was going to be wandering this place alone for eternity."

The voice was beginning to sound familiar to the white haired boy, but his befuddled mind still couldn't identify the owner. "W-who are you?" he asked in a still shaking voice.

"It's me, Marik, Marik Ishtar."

"Marik!" he shouted happily, tackling the young Egyptian. "You have no bloody idea how happy I am to see—well, to hear you!"

Marik winced a bit from the younger boy's tight grip. "Glad that I found you too, Bakura…but do you mind loosening up a little?"

"Oh sorry." He complied getting off of the other boy. "I was just so scared to think that I'd have to be alone any longer in this creepy place."

Marik smiled, Bakura's words mirroring his own feeling exactly. "So where are the others?" he asked excitedly.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well you're here so I assumed that the Pharaoh, Ishizu, and the others can't be far behind. I mean I knew my sister would come for me but never expected it to be so soon."

Bakura froze as he realized the Marik thought that this was some kind of rescue mission. "Um Marik, I don't think you understand..." he trailed off not wanting to be the one to crush Marik's hopes.

The Egyptian's smile faded as he heard the uncertainty in Bakura's voice. "They-they are coming…right?"

Bakura shook his head sadly, causing his snow white locks to fly wildly about. "I'm sorry, Marik but no. Malik captured me…I'm in the same boat as you are."

Silence followed his words, stretching out for several uncomfortable moments. Finally Marik broke it. "But they…will come," he said almost as if he was trying to convince himself.

"I sure hope so," muttered the white haired boy.

"What—" he took a deep breath as though he was preparing himself for something particularly painful. "What happened? After he…took over. Are my sister and brother…are they alright?"

Bakura could swear that his heart froze as he realized Marik didn't know what had happened to his family…what Malik had done in his body. He shivered; he knew exactly how Marik must be feeling right now. All the times his yami had used his body to hurt the innocent, to hurt his friends, raced through his head. _I can't tell him what happened, he'll… No. I just can't put him through that kind of pain again. _His mind made up, he began. "No they…they got away. Malik wasn't able to hurt them…they're with the Pharaoh now…they're all safe."

A small sad smile appeared on Marik's face. "You're a terrible liar Bakura."

Bakura froze. "Marik. Please don't…"

The older boy took a deep steadying breath. "Please Bakura. I need to know."

Bakura fixed his eyes on the ground and began to tell Marik everything. When he got to the part were Malik had tried to use Marik's body to kill his family, he felt tears begin to fall down his porcelain face. It felt like he was not only putting Marik through hell but reliving all the pain he'd been through all _his_ life as well.

Finally Bakura finished the tale and tilted his face upwards until he could see the barely visible outline of the boy sitting opposite him.

Marik's head was hanging limply and his platinum blond hair was covering his eyes that were stinging fiercely with the threat of tears but even though the darkness would easily have hid it, he refused to allow himself to cry. _What good would that do anyone?_ Instead he clenched his fists until his nails drew blood and he transformed all his anguish into hatred. Hatred towards the monster that had done this to him and his family. He was so caught up in his rage that he almost didn't feel the comforting hand on his arm.

"I know I can't do anything but if it helps, in even the smallest bit, I know what you're going through."

Marik was about to thrust the hand away and scream that he didn't know, no one did but he realized that if _anyone_ knew the pain and hate that was consuming his very soul, it was Bakura. Before he knew what he was doing, his arms were wrapped tightly around the British boy. "Thank you Bakura. I needed that."

Bakura was a bit shocked but none the less returned the embrace. After a few moments he spoke. "Well I don't about you but I'd rather not just sit here worthlessly. Let's try and find a way out, or at least something that could help the others...maybe some food..."

Marik chuckled slightly, nodding and the two boys set off through the blackness together, each lending each other the strength to do what one could not do alone.

**sssSsss**

AN: I hope you all liked this long chapter. If you did, feel free to tell me about it. I really appreciate the support!

-Asiera

P.S. Guess which long awaited characters show up next chapter!


	13. Do You Believe in Magic?

Disclaimer: I've begged and pleaded (not really; can you imagine _me_ on the ground), but I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

AN: Thank you to all my faithful readers and all you vaseshippers out there who have been waiting so patiently for the appearance of a certain rather hyper magician in training.

This weeks Super Special Awesome award, goes to: Arkmer, for telling me how Super Special Awesome _I_ was in almost every single one of her reviews. Love ya girl!

So, let's get this started shall we?

**Chapter XIII**

**Do You Believe in Magic?**

"…and so Shadi told me to retrieve your two mage cards so you could revive them and then they in turn, could help you defeat this so called, 'Great Evil'," finished Pegasus.

"You mean the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl right?" asked Yugi excitedly.

Pegasus nodded.

_'Mahad...Mana...'_

Yugi smiled as he felt the jolt of excitement coming from the Pharaoh's spirit. "So you're saying that all we've got to do is just hold up our two magician cards and—"

Pegasus shook his head cutting the young boy off. "I wish it was that simple, but Shadi said _all_ the cards must be present. And while the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are rare, there are more in the world than the ones in your deck." Pegasus leaned forward in his seat and winked. "Fortunately, my being the creator of Duel Monsters, and the extremely _rich_ owner of Industrial Illusions, made it possible to track down and...'purchase' all the remaining copies. Wasn't easy though, some people are rather attached to their cards."

"So how much longer till we get there?" asked Yugi, some of his yami's anxiousness transferring over to him.

Pegasus looked out the window at the building tops rushing by and then down at his watch. "Well I'd say about fifteen to twenty minutes. But," he said, suddenly looking very serious, "we'll be doing this _out_side. These things tend to be rather violent, and I do _not_ want another incident like that of the Blue Eyes wrecking Industrial Illusions too."

Yugi smirked. "Right."

sssSsss

Soon after, Pegasus's plane landed at the Californian airstrip and the strange group boarded a waiting limo and headed to Industrial Illusions where they would meet the ancient stone slabs that were being delivered by cargo plane.

During the entire trip to the large office building, Pegasus was deeply absorbed in a small book filled with cartoons, the Thief King was glowering out the heavily tinted window, and Pharaoh's spirit was fidgeting impatiently beside his hikari. Yugi grinned inwardly. _He must be really happy to nearly be reunited with his friends. I mean he hasn't really seen them in over five thousand years. _

_'Yugi?' _questioned the Pharaoh, bringing his hikari back to reality.

_'Yeah, what is it Yami?'_

The Pharaoh sighed. _'It's just that...well, even though the Memory World did give me back some of my lost memories, I still don't remember much of anything about them; the two people that I was supposed to be closest with, they are nearly strangers to me. I just wish that...'_

Yugi sensed his yami's sadness and confusion. _'Hey, don't worry. They're your friends and I'm sure they'll understand and help you through it. Besides, just being around them should help.'_

The Pharaoh nodded, but remained silent.

After several more tense minutes, the limo finally pulled to a stop in the shadow of a huge, many storied building. As the doors were opened Yugi gave the Pharaoh control. _'I think this is something that you need to do Yami.'_

_'Thank you, Yugi,' _said the Pharaoh, yet his body was stiff with apprehension as he, along with Bakura, followed Pegasus through the building and out into the empty grounds in the back. His heart skipped a beat and his grip tightened around the cards in his hand as he saw the giant stone tablets that held his two closest friends captive.

Pegasus excused himself in order to get the required cards from his office, leaving the Pharaoh with a few anxiety filled minutes to contemplate what was about to happen. He walked hesitantly over to the large slabs and laid his hand on the cold stone of Dark Magician Girl's—of Mana's prison. He felt a pulse of energy and strong emotions that seemed to be coursing from the icy rock, through his fingertips, and straight to his heart.

The Pharaoh was so absorbed in his own private thoughts and feelings that he nearly jumped when he noticed the presence of the Creator of Duel Monsters right beside him. Pegasus held up a small rectangular, silver box that presumably held the key to releasing his friends. The Pharaoh took a deep steadying breath and then accepted proffered container. Suddenly, a powerful feeling of determination filled him and in a flourish, he opened the box and held up his two most faithful cards.

As soon as Pegasus saw the Pharaoh's sudden, and in his opinion, rather dangerous actions, he quickly stepped a good distance backwards propelling Bakura back as well. The Thief King was about to violently object to this rather rude shoving but he was cut off by a bright purplish flash of light.

The violate light grew brighter and brighter until it had engulfed the entire courtyard. Suddenly, a howling wind materialized out in nowhere and picked up the spare mage cards. It threw them chaotically into the air, where they fluttered wildly about, like so many strange birds.

Then, just as they had done with Seto (though not as painfully), The Pharaoh's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cards flew out of his hands and transformed into two gigantic planes that glowed brightly with an eerie light.

Dark purple energy began to emanate from the stone slabs, crackling across the concrete pavement like miniature lightning bolts and finaly with a huge earsplitting, "CRACK!" the stones themselves exploded, shooting rubble and dust in all directions. One of the jagged pieces very narrowly missed giving Bakura a headache that he'd probably never recover from.

As the dust cleared, the silhouettes of the most famous spellcasters in all of Duel Monsters became visible. Their arms were folded tightly across their chests as if they were ancient nobility waking from a supposed eternal slumber. Then, two pairs of eyes, one of aquamarine and the other of charcoal gray shot open and locked with the Pharaoh's own amethyst ones.

Simultaneously, the two figures shot forward, flying straight for the motionless Pharaoh, their staffs outstretched as if to attack. As their bodies made contact with the glowing planes of the enlarged cards, a blinding flash ensued that caused everyone present to cover their eyes.

The light began to dim and the Pharaoh lowered his arms. The first sight that met his still somewhat sore eyes, was that of a young girl sprawled awkwardly on the rough pavement. She had a deep tan skin, dark brown messy hair, and was clothed in the same garb as that of the Dark Magician Girl.

"Mana," whispered the Pharaoh breathlessly.

As if she had heard him, her head jerked up revealing a charming face that hid her true beauty behind a playful grin. A grin that spread across her features the moment her eyes met his.

"Atem!" she shouted joyfully, and in an instant she had thrown herself at him, wrapping both her arms and legs around him in a full body embrace.

The Pharaoh stumbled backwards as her unexpected weight slammed into him and he barely managed to stay upright. After catching his balance his arms instinctively reached up and encircled her warm, very real body, and pulled her closer.

"I missed you Atem," she whispered, and he shivered as her breath ticked his ear, and her sweet scent enveloped him.

"I missed you too, Mana," he said, a special kind of smile finding its way onto his face—a smile that hadn't graced his lips in what seemed like an eternity.

Unseen by both the Pharaoh and the extremely excited Mana, Mahad had also fell through the magical plane. Currently, the magician was indignantly pushing himself off of the ground and dusting off his cumbersome heliotrope robes. He cautiously glanced around at his new strange surroundings, sweeping the somewhat demolished court yard with his gray eyes. Mahad gasped as he saw the only familiar things in the otherwise alien area.

"Mana!" blurted Mahad in shock. "That is no way to treat the Pharaoh!" He was about to make his way over to his king and rather unruly apprentice in the hopes of once again pulling her off but was stopped short by his overly large and very unpractical hat falling down his forehead to cover his eyes.

Mana turned and jumped down off of the Pharaoh as she heard her master's words. She smiled fondly as her teacher tugged fitfully at the extremely top heavy head gear.

Mahad finally managed to discard the annoying article of clothing and after glaring at it, he walked over to Atem and Mana with as much dignity as he could muster. Once there, he bowed low, his long, straight, chestnut locks falling past his shoulders and into his face. "It is good to once again be in your service my Pharaoh."

The Pharaoh smiled at the man who was still bowing before him and put his hand gently on his shoulder, pushing him to an upright position. "You need not bow to me my friend."

A look of confusion momentarily crossed the magician's face at his king's latest declaration but seeing his apprentice bouncing happily on the balls of her feet behind him, quickly continued. "Please excuse my apprentice's behavior, she—"

"She" interrupted him, saying: "aww come on Mahad, I think I reacted rather calmly seeing as how I haven't really seen him in over _five millennia_!"

Mahad nodded. "Yes, it has been much too long since we were all together but—"

Again the magician was cut off. Though this time not by Mana but by the Pharaoh, who very unexpectedly, had wrapped Mahad in a tight hug. "Much, much too long."

Mahad was only able to blink for a few moments, unsure of how to best proceed. Then he smiled. "Yes and apparently in that time you have forgotten many of the proper mannerisms that come with your title."

The Pharaoh pulled back and smiled up at Mahad (who stood several inches higher than him despite his exotic hairdo). "We obviously have much to catch up on."

**sssSsss**

So...What'd ya think? Really? I didn't catch that try that review button, I'll be sure to hear you then.

Later,

-Asiera


	14. The Choice

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh at the moment but Christmas is coming up...who knows.

AN: And I am finally back. I have been so busy with finals and end of the year projects, but now they're all done (or mostly done) and with only one week left of school, I should be posting much more often.

I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed the last chapter, that was the most reviews I've gotten out of a single update thus far.

This update's Super Special Awesome Award goes to Isis Shadowtamer, my little sister, for reviewing every single chapter of my story, helping me write this recent addition, and keeping me sane during the madness of the final weeks. Thanks Sis!

Now without any more waiting (don't think you guys could take much more of that), I present to you the next chapter of Heart of the Cards. Hope you enjoy, it's a long one.

**Chapter XIV**

**The Choice**

Seto tossed and turned all night, thoughts of last evening's events running through his head. _God I nearly kis...I almost... _No, he couldn't even admit to himself what had almost happened between them. _This strange girl, Kisara, she is the cause of it all. She caused the dreams and now...these unwanted, __**unproductive**__ feelings. She's tearing through all my defenses as if they were made of paper and all she has to do is look at me with those eyes..._ Seto held his head. He had to do something about this before he lost control of everything. _Hell, I almost lost control of myself back there. No, this has to end...now. Tomorrow I'll find her somewhere else to stay. The only thing that will make this crazy roller-coaster ride stop, is if she's...gone._

Part of Seto nearly died at that last thought and that part of him rejected those words with everything it could. Kisara's presence in his life had awakened a part of him that had laid dormant for what seemed like millennia. And though in truth he wanted to explore this new him and the new emotions that it brought, in the end, his logical more practical side won out. After several more minutes of mental debating, Seto came to the conclusion that "made sense". The girl that he had finally been reunited with after life times of separation, would have to go.

sssSsss

Early the next morning Kisara was awakened by harsh, and at the same time hesitant, knocking at her door. She pushed herself off of the floor by the window where she had cried herself to sleep last night, smoothed the fancy and now extremely wrinkled dress down so it fell once more around her shins, and then she slowly opened the door. Her heart jumped when she saw who had been knocking.

"Seto..." she whispered in shock and she quickly wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. _I can't let him know I've been crying. _

Seto spoke quickly, curtly, and didn't meet her hypnotizing eyes as he did so. "I would like you to accompany me to my office today. There is someone I want you to..." _I can't tell her, not yet. _"...someone I want you to meet. I'll be waiting downstairs by the main doors. When you're ready, we'll leave."

Kisara nodded obediently. His tone was flat and unemotional, something was definitely wrong but it was obvious that he didn't want to discuss it.

After Seto left she hurriedly ran a brush through her long hair and pulled on some dark blue pants Mokuba had called jeans along with a white long sleeved shirt with sleeves that flared out at the bottom. She tossed the very uncomfortable heels to the side and slipped into some vastly more practical and comfortable flats. Finally she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and did her best to erase all traces of last night's sadness. In under ten minutes, Kisara was out of her room and making her way through the mansion.

_Okay, take a left...down this hallway...through those doors...turn right...another hallway... _Kisara mentally relayed the directions that would lead her to the entrance of the mansion in her head. She hoped that she remembered the layout that Seto had attempted to drill into her head, despite the mind blowing and extremely distracting event that had nearly taken place after the tour.

Kisara sighed in relief as she rounded a corner and spotted the top of a wide staircase that would lead her to her destination. She slowed her pace down to a brisk walk and began to descend the stairs.

Seto—who was used to women taking at least a half an hour to get ready (sometimes longer)—was very surprised when Kisara interrupted his uneasy pacing at the bottom of the stairway after only fifteen minutes had elapsed. She made a quick little bow, some of her ice-blue locks falling into her face as she did so. "Morning Sir." She looked up, pushed one of the disobedient strands back behind her ear, and gave him one of her smiles; a smile that was warm but at the same time always contained sadness at its edges.

"I hope," she spoke, breaking him from his analysis of her lips, "that I didn't keep you waiting."

"I um—no. I actually expected you to take much longer," he answered trying to keep his voice as emotionless as possible.

Her smile broadened slightly despite his monotone. "I am glad to have exceeded your expectations."

"Right, now if only half the people who worked for me could do the same." _Why am I joking with her?! I'm __**trying**_ _to get rid of her._

She giggled, but seeing the discomfort on his face after his last words, quickly stopped.

"Well if you're ready, we should go," he said walking to the door and holding it open for her. She nodded and followed Seto out to the awaiting limo and, with his help, got in.

The trip to Seto's office was very reminiscent of the initial part of their journey in the Blue Eyes White Jet: Silent. Seto seemed very absorbed in some manner of complicated documents though in truth, he wasn't even attempting to read them. Kisara managed to entertain herself by gazing out the windows at all the strange and seemingly endless wonderful new things that lined the roads. She was still captivated by the streetlights that remained lit in the gray light of the pre-dawn.

Finally the two arrived at an extremely tall building with the initials "K.C." displayed at the top. The glass windows of the building looked as if they were suddenly set ablaze by the first rays of the sun as it rose above the horizon.

Kisara was so absorbed in the alien beauty of it all that she didn't notice Seto had opened her door until he cleared his throat. Stilled awed by how impossibly tall the gleaming building was, Kisara followed Seto to it's base. "_By Ra, it is taller than the pyramids of the Great Pharaohs..._" she whispered.

Choosing to ignore her comment about Egyptian deities and Pharaohs, Seto continued to guide her through the double doors at the base of his building. As soon as he had entered his "Palace", as Kisara was beginning to believe it was, he was nearly assaulted by a very flabbergasted receptionist. Her red hair was disheveled as if she had previously been tearing at it, her glasses were slightly askew, and the myriad of papers she was holding were dangerously close to slipping from her somewhat shaky grip.

"M-Mr. Kaiba, Sir? W-we have...there is an urgent problem that n-needs your immediate attention."

Seto merely sighed. He was used to this sort of thing. Nervous breakdowns of already on the fritz receptionists were all too common in cutthroat businesses such as his, so instead of being worried or concerned as Kisara was, he was annoyed. _Is it so much to ask for descent hired help these days?_

"Look, if you didn't deem it important enough to call me at home (or just weren't brave enough to) then I'm sure it can wait a few more minutes with out causing any serious damage."

The disgruntled receptionist nodded a bit jerkily and Seto propelled Kisara over to a corner where the steel doors of an elevator could be seen. After pressing a few buttons, the doors parted with a small "_ding_" and the pair entered the small room.

Kisara looked curiously around the little cubical. There was a row of buttons on the right side of the sliding doors, which Seto was pressing. The wall directionally opposite the doors was slightly bowed outward and made of the same see-through material as the windows of the limo she had ridden in earlier, only it was perfectly clear and not deeply shaded. She was about to walk over and examine this see-through wall but was stopped by the room suddenly jerking upward. Kisara gave a little start as it did so but quickly caught her balance. Then instead of backing away from the glass wall, she stepped towards it, placing one of her pale, long-fingered hands on it's cold surface. She gazed in awe at the steadily retreating ground, out at the city, and the sunrise that made it all look like a glittering diamond.

A little surprised by her amazement at what most others seemed to take for granted, Seto slowly walked up to stand beside her. To him, this journey to the top of Kaiba Corp every morning as the sun rose, represented his rise from a helpless orphaned boy to the powerful man he was today. "It's beautiful isn't it?"

She nodded remaining transfixed by the scene before her. She finally spoke, "this is all yours isn't it?"

"Yes."

"So you achieved your dream didn't you? You rose on your wings of determination from a life where you had no control of anything, to a world all your own, where you control almost everything around you."

Seto tore his eyes away from the view in front of him to gaze in disbelief at the girl next to him. _How could she know so much about me...about my life?_

There was another musical "_ding_", and the doors once again slid open. Seto led her down a short hallway and unlocked a door at the end of it. The room which the two entered was much grander then the reception hall, and was probably larger too. It was covered in a midnight blue carpet and had widows at both the east and west corners. Situated in front of the west window was a large, spotless desk on which, stacks of papers were neatly organized. Practical, yet comfortable sky blue couches were situated in a small semi-circle around a coffee table. On the wall above said table was a large, black, flat surface that had several buttons underneath it.

The room, overall, looked fit for a king but there was an undeniably cold and empty feeling that clung to everything. There were no pictures on the walls, only awards, certificates, and a strange device that looked much like the dueling apparatuses from her time.

Seto had immediately gone over to the desk and set down his briefcase. In the time it took Kisara to take in her surroundings, Seto had already gotten out his laptop (to Kisara, a strange slim box that emitted rapid clicking sounds when he touched it) and begun to work. After a few minutes of the clicking, Seto reached for the land line on his desk, intending to find out what had the receptionist in a fit. He stopped when he saw that Kisara was still standing motionless in the center of the room, her long icy hair swaying slightly in the light breeze made by the overhead heater.

"Feel free to sit down," he said gesturing around the room to the different chairs. She nodded, but instead of sitting on one of the soft sofas, she chose to sit in the hard wooden chair located just to the right of Seto's desk—the chair in which Mokuba usually sat. He smirked at her choice, then dialed a number on the phone.

An overstressed voice answered him, "y-yes Mr. Kaiba?"

"Alright, what's the big emergency?" he asked in an annoyed tone. She took a deep breath which only succeeded to further anger the CEO. "When ever you're ready..." he said sarcastically.

"Well, you know how you told me to draw out the plans for the possible Dueling Dome in Cairo?"

"Rings a bell. Now do you have anything original for me?"

She winced at the last comment. "Weeelll," she began again drawing out the last word rather unpleasantly—much in the same way as a certain retired Duel Monster's creator whom he never wanted to hear from again was rather fond of doing— "there seems to have been a slight mix up somewhere along the way."

"Oh?"

"Not on my end you understand."

"Of course not." Another sarcastic remark.

"Well," Seto winced at her extremely unimaginative, and repetitive word choice. "It seems that someone got the impression that you _were _in fact constructing a Dueling Arena in Egypt, Sir, and wel—"

Seto interrupted her. "First off, if you say "well" one more time you're fired. Secondly, This should _not _be a huge problem. Just tell them that some idiot messed it up and leave it at that." He hung up the phone. About ten seconds later it rang again. He sighed and picked it up, noticing from the extension number that it was from the same receptionist. "What is it now?" he asked, his patience wearing thin.

"We—I mean Sir, I would love to tell them that but...I think they're speaking in a different language, I believe it to be Arabic."

"You mean to tell me," his voice got dangerous, "you've got someone from Egypt, who can only speak Arabic, calling me about plans that were not authorized or even shown to me?!"

"Yes...that is the case, Sir."

"Well find a translator!"

She was really nervous now. "I-I did, Sir, but he won't be here for a few days..." She winced, waiting for his response.

Seto was on the verge of firing her on the grounds of incompetency but a light tap on his shoulder saved the poor girl her job. Seto looked up angrily but unconsciously softened when he met Kisara's calming eyes.

"Seto? I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and though I'm sure you would most likely rather wait for a professional...translator, I think I could help in the mean time."

Seto shook his head. "I know you might want to help but you getting involved would only over complicate things." He paused. "How did you intend to help anyway?"

"I can fluently speak—" she hesitated remembering how to pronounce the word, "Arabic."

Seto gazed at her again in amazement. _What was she, some sort of heaven sent?_ "You're sure you can speak it properly?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the phone. "Cancel the translator. Is the person in question still on the line?"

"Um yes," she answered guiltily. "He's been on hold for about an hour..."

Seto almost swore. "Just put him through."

"Now?"

"Only if you want to continue working here."

"Yes Sir," she answered quickly.

He turned to Kisara, who looked apprehensively at the phone praying to Ra that this would work. "Here," he said handing her the device. "Just tell me what he says and then repeat what I say back to him, alright."

She nodded taking the device and waited to hear the voice on the other end, speaking in a language she'd probably never heard before, while Seto looked on with suspicious eyes.

Kisara winced as harsh words spoken in a foreign tongue assaulted her ears. Whoever it was sounded very angry, and whatever he was saying didn't sound nice. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then repeated the strange words several times in her head.

Seto raised an eyebrow at her prolonged silence and was about to say something when she answered the man on the other side in perfect Arabic. She grinned to herself. As everyone knows, dragons have the innate ability to understand and speak almost any language instantly and having such a strong connection with her Ka, the Blue Eyes White _Dragon_, she had used this ability many times in the past (including just recently with both English and Japanese). She just hadn't been sure that it would work over this odd thing called a phone, thankfully, it had.

In a surprisingly short time, she and Seto had resolved the problem. It turned out that the man was actually thrilled about the new Dueling Arena and so was almost all of Cairo thanks to what Kisara had interpreted as, "Mr. ...Winged Horse's?" new exhibit on the origins of Duel Monsters (Seto had laughed at that last part). Seto went over the plans and approved construction. He was actually in a wonderful mood, that is, until the phone rang again. The message relayed to him this time caused his heart to sink somewhere close to the floor.

"Sir, there is a Mr. Winters here to see you. He says he's here to take a Miss Kisara away to her new home."

Seto froze. His mental battle from last night resurfaced in his mind. He was conflicted. On one hand she scared him. She scared him more then anyone he'd ever met. The way she seemed to know him better than he knew himself, the way she could just look at him and he'd crumble...it terrified him. But then again those same emotions fascinated him and he desperately wanted to become who she was changing him into.

She was wrong. Yes he'd achieved his dreams but was he happy? No was the cold hard truth. In fact, a few minutes ago, he'd felt the happiest he'd been in months. He could try to deny it, but he knew deep down inside, even if he wouldn't admit it, that she was saving him.

After a long pause he glanced up at the cause of this beautiful mess. She was sitting on the edge of his desk sorting through a stack of papers, not because he'd asked her to, but because she'd _wanted_ to help him. He took a deep breath and finally responded to the person on the other end who was beginning to think that the line had gone dead. "Tell him..." at that second she looked over to him with those ice blue eyes and just smiled before returning to her work. That single, seemingly meaningless gesture made his mind up for him. "Tell him there's been a mistake. Miss Kisara stays with me. It's about time I got a personal assistant anyway." With that he hung up.

Kisara smiled knowingly down at the papers in her hand. _Thank you Seto._

He turned to her as she handed him the pile of documents. After he had put them into the correct file and glanced at the clock which read 12:30, he spoke. "You didn't get breakfast either I assume?"

She shook her head.

"Well is there anywhere you'd like to go for lunch?"

She thought for a moment. "Mokuba told me he was off school for 'Winter Break'. I'd think he'd enjoy it very much if we had lunch with him."

Seto was a bit shocked by her answer. He had intended to spend as much time as he could with his younger brother over his break but had, as of yet, been unable to make good on that promise..._Better late then never._ "Alright, let's go then."

The two left his office for the elevator. As the machine began it's descent Seto did something, that if asked about later, would probably deny. After inhaling a deep breath he slowly reached out his hand and entwined his fingers around Kisara's. Kisara nearly jumped at this unexpected turn of events. She glanced at his face which was set in a perfect mask and positioned to look straight ahead. She smiled slightly and her fingers tightened around his. At that moment, he knew he'd made the right choice.

**sssSsss**

-Asiera


	15. The Reinitiation of a High Priest

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any related Materials! (These can get really annoying...over and over and over....)

AN: Hey guys, long time no see! Thank you to all my wonderful readers, reviewers, and especially to my Beta who really helped a lot with this new chapter.

This month's Super Special Awesome Award goes too...my amazing Beta who is an excellent writer and a truly fantastic beta (no I'm not being a suck-up, just honest).

Okay, before we start I have some badish news...I know some of you are...displeased with the wait between chapters (it takes time to wright this well ;) but now that school's started back up and has brought a hectic schedule along with it (Econ and Gov, Calculus Honors, and Analytical Chemistry all of which give home work _every _night) I might be updating a lot less often. Please bare with me, I swear to never abandon this amazing story and, though school comes first, I hope it won't be too much of a hindrance.

Okay end of boring announcement, start of exciting story:

**Chapter XV**

**The Reinitiation of a High Priest **

A tanned skinned, girlish face framed in messy brown locks could be seen pressed up against the small oval window of one of Pegasus's jets as it began it's journey from Los Angeles, California to Domino City Japan. Her insides seemed to be housing hundreds of fluttering butterflies and she giggled as she stared down at the rapidly retreating ground. _Flying is really amazing!_ Mana had never mastered the spell previously, as balance was essential and she had little of that on the ground let alone in the air. But flying in this "plane", as the Pharaoh had called it, made her that much more determined to master it.

In the excitement of it all, she was nearly able to forget about all the problems that had popped up in the last few hours. She sighed as the aircraft leveled out and her worries finally caught up with her. She had believed that as soon as she had seen her Pharaoh's face after several millennia and felt his strong arms wrap around her, that all her troubles were forever gone. Boy, had she been wrong. All the hurt and fear of the past along with some new ones had come crashing down on her and Mahad with just one glance over to a corner where a snowy white haired teen was just visible standing within the shadows. At first she hadn't recognized him, but the sneer that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face was enough, enough to make her heart wrench as if he had physically stabbed his knife deep into it.

She looked to her left past the Pharaoh and Mahad to the row of seats across the isle. There sat the man who five thousand years ago had single handedly destroyed her life and left her with nothing. Despite the Pharaoh's words that he could be trusted (for now) and the lesson of forgive and forget that had been drilled into her head since childhood, Mana wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk right off of his pale face by means of a quick right hook. She knew Mahad desired to do the same, or perhaps worse, by the deadly glare he was fixing his tightly clasped hands with but of course, he would honor his king's wishes. Mana shook her head, even if Atem became furious, she swore that if the "King" of Thieves gave her even half a reason, she would make him pay for taking the two most important people in her life away from her and leaving her an empty shell with nothing to live for.

She felt a hot tear slide down her cheek and quickly turned her head so that no one would see. _I have to stay strong if I want to ensure that the ones I love stay safe...I won't let them down again._

Her attempt at a cover up was not a successful maneuver on the Pharaoh who had been silently studying his best friend for the past few minutes. Reading her face as easily as a papyrus scroll, he was able to guess what had caused that tear. Ever since the two had met in the ruins of that fire-ravaged town, they had always been able to tell exactly what the other was thinking or feeling. And even if the Pharaoh couldn't remember how they first met, he still was able to read the reasons for the sadness behind those aquamarine eyes.

He reached out his hand, which was now pale in comparison to her sun kissed complication, took her's and gave it a tight squeeze. Mana jerked her head around to face him and found herself gazing up into his warm amethyst eyes that were filled with understanding and compassion. He lifted his other hand and gently erased the remnants of the tear track that she had missed.

"I promise...things will be different this time," he whispered softly.

She smiled and laid her head against his warm familiar shoulder and sighed as he placed a comforting arm around her. She sure hoped he was right.

sssSsss

Mokuba was sitting on the floor by one of the mansion's windows haphazardly sorting through his dueling deck—which he had managed to dig up whilst attempting to clean his room—when he happened to glance out at the driveway. His face lit up like a light when he saw his brother's limo pulling up. "It's about time!"

He hurriedly got to his feet and was in the process of running out the door into the hall when he doubled back and picked up the strange golden object he'd seen lying on his brother's bed. It was some sort of metal rod that strangely resembled one of the seven mystical items that had caused so much trouble about a year ago. Mystery item in hand, he ran down the stairs two at a time and out the main doors to the extremely long driveway. There he waited impatiently for the limo, which was now halfway up the drive, glancing down at the golden item in his hand with grimace. _Seto hates magic…_

Kisara, who had been in deep conversation with Seto about what they were going to do with Mokuba when they arrived, suddenly froze and her previously happy face darkened.

"Kisara?" asked Seto, puzzled by her sudden silence.

Kisara ignored his words or perhaps she simply didn't hear him. Instead she turned and gazed out the side window at the sky. She couldn't tell if it was the darkened glass playing tricks on her, or if the sky had all of a sudden grown significantly darker. She shivered involuntarily; was that black magic she felt?

"Kisara?" She felt his hand on her shoulder and nearly jumped. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern audible in his normally flat or malice edged voice. She nodded deciding—no hoping—that she was mistaken. Dragons rarely are.

Within seconds the car door was opened and the two stepped out. Kisara, though still uneasy, smiled when she saw Mokuba waving excitedly to them. Her smile instantly vanished though when she saw the object he was holding in his left hand. _The Millennium Rod...but that means…_

As if to confirm her fears, her ears picked up a sound that no one else's could, a sound that made her blood grow cold. "Mokuba! Run!"

The Kaiba brothers looked at her as if she'd lost it but the terror and apprehension that was perfectly visible on her face was beginning to scare the younger of the two.

"Kisara, what are you talking about?" asked Seto with narrowed eyes. "We're perfectly safe here; there is no need to scare Mokuba." Obviously he couldn't hear what she did.

Kisara ignored him and turned to her left where she could see a dark purple mist beginning to swirl at the base of a thick line of trees. There was no way they could reach Mokuba in time. Again she desperately tried to get through to him. "Mokuba! Listen to me! You have to get inside!" It was getting closer... "Now!"

Mokuba had no idea what was going on, but the look on her face and the desperation of her pleas were enough to make him move. He turned on his heel and sprinted back inside.

Seto, who is arguably the most skeptical and stubborn person on the planet, was annoyed by this sudden turn of events and opened his mouth to retort. "Kisara, what are you—"

He was cut off as a crackling sphere of black energy impacted into the space Mokuba had just vacated, blasting the front steps apart and sending a flurry of masonry and dust into the air. About a second later, the stone roof that covered the front entrance groaned and sagged before crumbling apart and burying the front entrance, causing Mokuba's startled cry to be abruptly cut off.

Seto froze, mouth still open. _Mokuba…_ His hand automatically reached towards the ruined doorway but everything seemed to move in slow motion. _No… _He saw Kisara shouting at him, but he couldn't make out the words…

"Seto!"

Suddenly the world snapped back to its normal speed and he was once again able to move and hear, though his ears were still ringing with the aftermath of the blast.

"Seto! You have to get to your brother! I'll distract them! Make sure they don't get the Rod!" The icy-haired woman yelled at him.

Seto had no idea what "rod" she was talking about and he couldn't care less. All he wanted to do was get to his brother before whatever had caused that black explosion did. Seto nodded and bolted to the right heading for the side entrance praying he wasn't too late and that Kisara knew what she was doing.

As soon as Kisara was sure that Seto was out of the immediate danger zone she turned to the ever growing shadow mist, her eyes trying to pierce its depths, trying to find the source of the darkness. An evil chuckle sounded from her right but she kept her gaze locked straight ahead. Kisara was all too familiar with shadow magic and its tricks were nothing new to her. As the mist swirled forward she backed up until she felt the rough surface of the newly formed wall of rubble that blocked the mansion's front enterance against her smooth palms, thus insuring that no surprise attack could be made from behind. Though the dark laughter still echoed around her she stood her ground and took several deep, calming breaths.

It was a known fact that anyone who messed with Seto Kaiba would face the wrath of the Blue Eyes but whoever had just begun to materialize out of the shadows was about to face the original and very real White Dragon. She smirked as a soft blue light filled her eyes. They were in for a surprise.

Malik, still cloaked in the swirling shadows, advanced towards the blue-haired girl whose eyes were still darting around the shadows, as if she knew he was in there somewhere. He laughed again, the dark magic making it seem like it was coming from somewhere above her. "Are you scared little girl? All by yourself and the shadows slowly consuming you?"

Kisara answered calmly, "Whether it is Seto or the Rod that you want, I won't let you take either of them."

"That Item is mine, girl," the dark spirit spat at her, the shadows flaring in unison with his anger. "It's current 'owner' is the _thief_ and he doesn't even want or believe in its powers."

"If you want to get to him," she answered, her voice devoid of emotion, "then you'll have to get past me first."

Malik's laughter was edging on the insane side as he stepped out of his concealing blanket of shadows. "Who are you to challenge me? I am all the pain, suffering, and anger of this pitiful world! I am destruction! I am pure impenetrable darkness!" Maliciousness burned in his eyes and dark power crackled and leapt between his fingers, as if begging to be unleashed.

"How appropriate…I am the spirit of the White Dragon. It makes it so much easier for my light to burn you away." She said, voice echoing as her eyes began to glow an icy blue and her long hair started to fly wildly about her body. Brilliant light erupted around her form as a roar filled the air and a dragon-shaped form appeared behind her.

Malik's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"Let's just see how impenetrable you really are."

sssSsss

Seto ducked as another explosion shook the house, this one was followed by a mighty roar, one that he knew almost as well as his own voice. _The Blue Eyes.... _His eyes widened. _Kisara!_ His nightmare replayed in his mind and he immediately felt compelled to run to her side and save her. He shook his head. _If she is really the spirit of the Blue Eyes White Dragon (as crazy as that sounds), she can handle herself. I have to find him. _

"Mokuba!" he called out running through the many hallways of his house, for once wishing it was a lot smaller. He ran to the top of the staircase panting and feeling exhausted. He had already checked the living room, the dining area, the ball room, and Mokuba's room, yet the spiky haired teen was nowhere to be found. Just a bunch of screaming servants that he had pushed past, not having time to stop and explain things to them. "Mokuba! Where Are You?!" he yelled desperately down another empty hallway. "_Where are you..._" he whispered, losing hope with each passing second of silence. Excluding the sounds of the battle that he imagined was taking place outside, he heard nothing. Seto collapsed to his knees. "Mokuba...."

"Seto!" came the faint but very real call from somewhere down the seemingly endless hall.

Seto's head snapped up and the CEO was instantly on his feet. "Mokuba! Thank God. Where Are You?!"

"Here!" was the faint response.

_Oh yeah, that's descriptive. _Never the less, Seto followed the increasingly louder cries until he arrived at his bedroom door. He flung it open and immediately felt a pair of strong but small arms wrap around his middle. "I was so scared..." Mokuba managed, his voice somewhat muffled by Seto's shirt.

Seto fell to his knees wrapping his shaking arms around his little brother. "So was I," he whispered. "I thought I lost you." _If it wasn't for her...I would have._

After a few precious seconds, Seto pulled himself and his brother to their feet. "Come on. We have to get out of here." Another explosion shook the house. "There's no telling how much longer this place will stand up to this."

Mokuba nodded. "Here," he handed Seto a small box which contained his dueling deck, "thought you might need this."

Seto smiled. _Knew you didn't just run and hide. _"Thanks Mokie."

Despite the circumstances, Mokuba smiled at the use of his long forgotten nickname.

Seto took the proffered cards and grabbed his Duel Disk from a nearby counter, placing his deck inside it. He noticed that one of the cards was glowing but he didn't have time to worry about that now. _I have to get Mokuba and Kisara out of here._ He was about to run from the room when his eyes fell upon the Millennium Rod that Mokuba had been holding earlier. _"Make sure they don't get the Rod!" Is that what she meant? _He scowled down at the object. Although he had no real belief in magic, Seto was a business man and he knew that if you offered people what they wanted, you could get them to agree to just about anything. So this supposed magic object would make a good bargaining chip. _At the very least, I just hit them over the head with it_. He grabbed the golden item and placed it beneath his coat, tucking it under his belt in the back. "Let's get out of here." Mokuba nodded and the two exited the room at a run.

sssSsss

Kisara's scream was echoed by the giant icy blue dragon's as a blast of dark magic stabbed into her side. She winced and faltered in her stance for a moment but she refused to let the huge shinning dragon that was preventing Malik from advancing into the mansion slip away.

"You are beginning to become a nuance you stupid girl!" yelled Malik as he unleashed a second blast of magic, only to have the Blue-Eyes knock it aside with a wing and retaliate with a burst of White Lighting.

Kisara didn't answer him, instead using all her strength to keep her dragon on the field, sweat beading across her brow as she felt her energy waning. _I just have to give Seto enough time to clear the building...Just a little longer...._

"Kisara!"

She whipped around to see Seto standing there with Mokuba, his eyes wide, darting from her to her shinning Blue Eyes White Dragon that was the only shield between them and the dark onslaught.

Seto's heart sank as he saw the weak way she looked at him and the shake in her legs. He could tell that she was going through hell and that she couldn't take it much longer. There was no way he could get her out of there without them all dying in that massive build up of dark energy that was trapped behind her dwindling monster.

She turned away from him and back to the nightmare in front of her. A tear fell down her cheek as she spoke, her voice as devoid of emotion as she could make it. "Get out of here Seto. I-I can't hold him off much longer..."

Seto felt as though all the warmth and light in him vanished the second her words reached his ears. _...No..._ "_No.._." he whispered. He clenched his fists. "No! I'm not leaving you! Not again!"

"Seto...there isn't a—"

Her words were cut off by Malik. "Yes, _Priest _Seto. Why don't you stick around? Your friend here could use some company in her _death_!" The raging cloud of darkness at his control swelled rapidly, lashing out at the Blue-Eyes and sending it reeling, both monster and master crying out it agony. Kisara felt her legs buckle, and dropped to her knees.

"No!" Seto shouted taking a step forward. "This is what you want isn't it?!" He yelled at the darkness, holding out the Millennium Item. "Then take it! Just leave her alone!"

"Seto...no...d-don't give it to him..."

Malik's insane laughter sounded from all directions. "Ha! So you _do_ have a heart!?" More psychotic laughter. "Why do you think I'd let you live? I'd much rather kill all of you and then take the Rod from your bloody fingers! This time she won't be able to save you, Seto." At this point Malik lost it completely, twisted laughter echoing as if someone had just whispered an extremely hilarious joke in his ear.

"You monster..." gasped Kisara.

"Why thank you my dear. I do try!" The laughter picked up.

Kisara hung her head in defeat, _Thirty seconds maybe less, then he'll be through... _"Seto, please... please get out of here. Please I—" She glanced up and her words caught in her throat as a shadow fell across her. There, standing beside her was not the man she had begun to know over the past few days but the man she had loved with every fiber of her being five thousand years ago. His golden jewelry flashing mysteriously in the near darkness, his royal blue cloak billowing in an unfelt wind. "S-Seto?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Never give up my love. Even when all seems lost, never lose hope. Your light can penetrate through any darkness. It found my heart did it not?"

Tears began to flow freely down her face. "I.."

"Have faith in yourself, and—" a smirk played across his face— "don't give up on me alright."

"Never..."

He nodded and his form faded and changed until she saw it was really Seto Kaiba who stood beside here, the Millennium Rod raised and his Duel Disk glowing. Then it was as if a pressing weight that had been crushing down on her chest was lightened considerably. She looked up to where her dragon was and saw that it had been joined by the tri-headed figure of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the composite monster unleashing a triple howl of rage.

Seto turned to look at her, "Are you ready for this?"

Kisara nodded and pulled herself up, gripping his arm tightly. "Together…"

The CEO nodded and turned towards the furious cloud of shadows that swirled before them. "You threaten my company…"

"Do you really think that you can stand against me!?" Malik roared, his whole body wreathed in shadowy lighting.

Kaiba's hand clenched tighter on the Millennium Rod. "You threaten my family…"

Malik's insane laughter broke free again and he raised his hand in preparation to unleash his power. "I'll send your souls screaming into your graves!"

"And you hurt Kisara…That is unforgivable!" Seto roared, his eyes burning with righteous fury. Acting more on instinct than anything else, he held the Rod up before him. "I don't know who you are and I really don't care! I just want you to…GO STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

The Rod glowed brightly and the Ultimate Dragon and Kisara's Blue-Eyes attacked in unison, unleashing torrents of crackling white flames. Malik screamed as his blanket of shadows was ripped away and he strained mightily against the all-consuming force of the attack, parts of his body being vaporized into shadows. "You can't get rid of the shadows this easily! I'll be back! And when I do—!" Then he was gone, torn into scraps of darkness.

As the light began to fade, Kisara managed to smile at Seto before slumping forwards and burying her head in his chest as exhaustion finally won out and she let sleep overcome her, a smile on her face. The darkness might be back, but today, they, light, had won.

**sssSsss**

AN: Hope you all loved it, please review, they are greatly appreciated.

-Asiera


	16. Blue Eyes

Disclaimer: Just because you've all been telling me that I have every character down perfectly, it doesn't mean I own Yu-Gi-Oh...it just makes it a possibility.

AN: No I didn't get sucked into the Shadow Realm and die, I'm still here. I know it's been like forever but like I said last time, my life can really be a b-with-an-itch sometimes and it has been recently. I hope the wait was well worth it and you will continue to put up with my busy schedule.

This updates Super Special Awesome Award goes to Written Parody, for the most in depth and heartfelt review of the entire story thus far that I've ever gotten and probably ever will. You won't see it in the review section because it was _six pages long_ and spanned _four PMs_! Thank you so much Written Parody! You are truly Super Special Awesome in every possible meaning of the word!

Now without anymore babbling from me, on with the story:

**Chapter XVI**

**Blue Eyes**

Yugi collapsed limply on his bed. Every inch of his body was exhausted and protested at even the slightest of movements. He hadn't gotten a decent amount of sleep in the last..._three days....Has it really only been three days?_

_'Yes,' _answered the Pharaoh reading Yugi's thoughts as he stared intently down the hall, straining to catch the conversation that was still going on down stairs. He had wanted to stay until its conclusion but Yugi's body was just too tired and Grandpa had insisted that he get his rest. _If Yugi's this tired, I can't imagine how Bakura can even stand._

"I think I was actually getting used to things being normal again," murmured Yugi. "I thought that...well...ever since that day."

The Pharaoh turned to look at him. By the expression on his face and how he had said those last words, it was unmistakable which day he was talking about. _'You mean the day that we dueled.'_

Yugi nodded his head. Even though it was over a year ago it still hurt and he referred to it more as "the day he lost". It wasn't the losing that was painful, it was the horrible nagging feeling that he'd let his best friend down. The Pharaoh denied this of course, but the fact remained that because he wasn't strong enough, the Pharaoh's spirit was trapped for at least five more millennia in the Puzzle.

What was perhaps worse, was that part of him was glad that he had lost, because it meant that he would never have to be alone. Yugi squeezed his eyes shut. What Horakhty had said was true, he wasn't ready to be separated from the Pharaoh but that shouldn't mean that Atem should have to suffer for his weakness.

_'Yugi.' _

The teen nearly jumped as he felt the warm ethereal touch of the spirit's hand on his shoulder.

The Pharaoh smiled kindly at him from his new position on the edge of the bed. _'I've told you, it is no fault of your own that I am still here. Horakhty __**was**__ right, we are not ready to separate but that blame does not fall solely on you. I too was unwilling to untwine my spirit from yours and, now that Mana and Mahad have entered into this world, there is nothing that is pulling me towards the Spirit World anymore.' _He smiled again. _'Besides, if you don't stop moping around I shall have to mind crush you.'_

Yugi laughed, it was a small laugh, but a laugh none the less.

_'Now get some sleep. There is no telling what could happen in the next few hours.'_

Yugi nodded as he closed his eyes. "I feel like I'm on a 24 marathon."

The Pharaoh chuckled. _'That would be an appropriate comparison.' _

It seemed like Yugi had only just closed his eyes when he felt something heavy, warm, and very bony assault his sleeping form by landing directly on top of him. Yugi screeched in surprise and upon opening his eyes discovered that it was Mana who had tackled him.

"Guess I scared ya huh?" she giggled. "You know you sorta scream like a girl?"

"I-I..." stuttered Yugi, turning a deeper shade of red with each syllable. He had never been this close to a girl before and on his bed no less! She probably thought he was the Pharaoh... He was beginning to wonder exactly what kind of relationship they had had but due to the current circumstances, he really didn't have time to give it much thought. "I-I'm not..."

She fixed him with a quizzical look, head cocked to the side. "Huh? Come on Atem, I couldn't have scared you _that_ bad."

_'Um...Mana?'_ called the Pharaoh from the other side of the room. He wasn't sure if she could see him in spirit form, but he had a feeling that she might be able to.

She turned in surprise at his voice. "Wha—?"

_Oh good she can see and hear me._ He though in relief. That meant this situation could be rectified quite easily. _'Wrong me,'_ he stated simply.

"Then who..." She turned back to Yugi, whom she was still on top of. As realization crossed her face, it was accompanied by a bright pink color. "Oh Yugi! I...um...I thought you were....Oops." She finished getting quickly off of him and rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Sorry."

"That's Okay," answered Yugi. He fixed the Pharaoh with a meaningful look. "Do you want to...?"

_'No, Yugi, that's fine. She can see me in this form so there is no need. You just go back to sleep; we'll talk out side the door.'_

_'Right, like it's that easy. Maybe next time I wake up, it will be Mai tackling me,'_ thought Yugi sarcastically.

The Pharaoh smirked. _'Go to sleep Yugi so you may continue __**dreaming**__.'_ And the two left the room, the sound of their muffled voices once again lulling Yugi into sleep.

sssSsss

The earnest knocking at Yugi's door a mere half hour later was proof that no one here _really_ wanted him to get any rest.

_It's just one big conspiracy to make me __**think**__ they care..._ Yugi grumbled to himself, rolling over and letting out an annoyed groan.

"Yugi, Yugi, get up," called the boy's grandfather. There was no adequate response from inside. He sighed and continued in his knocking. "Yugi, Kaiba is here. He said he—"

_'What?!_' In an instant, Yugi, who had just seconds ago dreaded any form of movement, sprang out of bed, bolted past Grandpa, and sprinted down the stairs two at a time.

_Hmmm_, thought Solomon as he followed his rapidly retreating grandson down the steps, _maybe I should use that technique more often._

_'What's __**he**__ doing here?'_ Yugi asked the Pharaoh nervously as he reached the bottom and headed through the shop towards the living room.

_'I don't know, Yugi but he's mad. I heard him shouting from all the way upstairs. It's a miracle he didn't wake you. There was also something like desperation in his voice.'_

_'Great, that's just what we—' _the sight that met Yugi's eyes made him stop mid thought as he skidded to a halt at the bottom of the steps. Both the Kaiba brothers were present. Mokuba stood next to his older brother, his face scuffed with dirt and his hair messier than usual, a look somewhere between frightened and confused on his face while the elder Kaiba stood tall, blue-eyes hard, the look on his face suggesting that he was trying to do his best not to lose his temper and failing. But it was the bundled-up trench coat in Kaiba's arms that caught Yugi's attention.

Dangling limply in the young CEO's protective grasp, an exotic looking girl rested quietly, long ice-blue hair falling loosely like a shimmering waterfall to the floor below. The scene sparked a powerful memory in the mind of the Pharaoh and subsequently, Yugi's:_ A similar looking man dressed in royal blue robes held a dying girl before the stone tablet of the great White Dragon._

_'Kisara...'_

Seto set Kisara gently down on one of the couches that had been cleared moments ago by a ridiculous looking bronze skinned man dressed in strangely familiar purple robes who had bowed and muttered something that sounded like "Priest Seto". _Another crazy freak._ As soon as he was sure that she was in no danger of falling off of this rickety piece of junk, his raging blue eyes shot past Pegasus (whom he was already contemplating killing) to the spiky haired teen who, in his opinion, was the cause of all this chaos. When he spoke his voice was low, cold, and very dangerous. "You have about ten seconds to start explaining what is going on here."

"Calm down, Kaiba, everything—" began Yugi nervously.

"This is calm, Yugi!" Kaiba said sharply, taking a step towards his long-time rival. "My entire mansion was nearly burnt to the ground and Mokuba and Kisara were almost killed by some crazy floating psychopath throwing black fire out of his hands!"

Bakura had wisely been staying out of this confrontation by keeping himself hidden in the shadows but at Seto's last comment his eyes widened and he whispered somewhat fearfully, "Malik?"

Unfortunately Seto heard and Bakura was no longer exempt from this discussion. The CEO rounded on the Thief King. "I don't really care _who_ he is! I just want to know _where_ he is so I can teach the bastard a lesson!"

"I would not advise that." said Bakura. "If his powers have advanced as much as you say they have, then you would probably die in the process."

"You," Seto spat, pointing an accusing finger at the thief, "had better hold your tongue if you know what's good for you! I still haven't forgotten what you did to Mokuba!"

Bakura sent him a death glare but did not speak up again. _This is one argument I best stay out of. Perhaps Kaiba will strangle the Pharaoh, he seems mad enough to strangle someone..._

Seto turned his attention back to Yugi as he took several threatening steps forward. "I have a right to know what the hell is happening around here so start talking, Moto or I swear to God, I'll make you wish you did!"

Mahad stepped forward placing himself between Seto and his Pharaoh's Light. "There is no need to speak with such rage and hatred to our Pharaoh's spirit partner. This encounter will meet a much better end if it can be discussed a bit more civilly."

The CEO fixed the magician—who in his opinion was just uttering more nonsense—with a dark glower. "Keep your ideas to yourself and if you get out of my way, you and your stupid little costume might make it to next Halloween."

Mahad and his apprentice—who had been watching from the threshold—looked as if they would retaliate but a quick jerk of the Pharaoh's head caused them both to back down, if not a little reluctantly. Mahad stepped aside and Seto was only a few steps away from Yugi.

"Well?" he demanded angrily.

Yugi took a deep breath but stood his ground. "Kaiba, you must by now realize that all the Shadow magic that you've called lies and illusions is in fact reality. The seven Millennium Items seem to be returning and along with them, a pure evil entity that goes by the name of Zorc. He has control of Marik's body, using a dark spirit called Malik who is trying to resurrect Zorc. I don't know if he needs the Millennium Items to do this, but judging by our recent experience in Egypt it's a distinct possibility."

The more Yugi explained, the angrier Seto seemed to get. Finally, he snapped. In one quick motion he grabbed Yugi by the collar, lifted the no longer vertically challenged boy from the ground, and pinned him to the wall. His actions caused an audible gasp from everyone in the room.

_Maybe they __**will**__ strangle each other...and here I thought it was just wishful thinking..._ mused Bakura with a sadistic smirk.

"I'm tired of this, Yugi," Kaiba spat dangerously. "My family was almost killed by that nutcase and all you can say is the same crap you've been spouting ever since I've met you!" He gripped Yugi's collar tighter and leaned forwards so that their faces were inches apart. "I'm not buying it, so why don't you try the truth this time!"

"But t-that i-is the truth," gasped Yugi, who had just realized how fearsome Kaiba could actually be when threatened.

"Hold it, Kaiba-Boy! There's not need to get violent!" called Pegasus stepping forward along with Yugi's grandfather. "You don't need to hurt the poor lad!"

"Young man, you had better put my grandson down this instant or things are going to get ugly," threatened Mr. Moto angrily, clearly planning to make good on that promise.

_'Yugi, let me help you.'_ insisted the Pharaoh who had been trying to gain control of the body since this ordeal had turned ugly.

To the surprise of everyone who could see the Pharaoh's spirit, Seto's eyes moved from Grandpa and Pegasus over to the source of the sound and locked onto the Pharaoh's face. Instantly he dropped Yugi, who landed painfully on his back side, and took several staggering steps backwards his eyes widening. "Who...what..."

_'You can see me?'_ asked the Pharaoh in shock.

"Of course I can see you! You the hell are you?!"

_'I'm the spirit of the Pharaoh who you've denied the existence of for so long, and I am the one who's dueled you for equally as long.'_

"No...No. This is impossible," said Seto as his eyes shot between the Pharaoh and Yugi. "It-it's crazy!"

"Seto." A quiet but strong voice spoke from behind him.

He turned to see that Kisara was now awake, Mahad supporting her still shaking body so that she could sit upright.

"I'm hoping that she can talk some sense into that bronze plated scull of yours," said Mahad. "She was the only one who could reason with you in the past, perhaps it is the same now."

Seto stared, awestruck by the fact that she was awake so soon after that ordeal but more so because it seemed she would actually go along with their crazy story.

She started slowly, cautiously. "What Yugi, what the Pharaoh"—she bowed her head slightly in his direction—"has said is the truth. I know it's hard for you to accept, and that it goes against everything you've come to believe, but the truth is sometimes harder to embrace than any lie."

"Kisara, this isn't—"

"Logical? I know. To you it isn't but that is only because it falls outside range of what you understand. Though just because you do not understand it, that doesn't make it any less real, or any less dangerous. This dark spirit was after you because you are a holder of one of the seven Millennium Items, and one of the people who is needed to halt the resurrection of the Dark One."

"Hold on," said Seto shaking his head. "Duel Monsters being real, magical items, and past lives are one thing but there is no way that I am going to be involved in some ancient crusade to 'save the world' or some such nonsense. You want this?" he asked as he pulled out the Millennium Rod. "Here, take it." He threw it on the floor at the Pharaoh's semi-transparent feet where it landed with a clatter, the hidden dagger within becoming slightly unsheathed. "The damn thing just causes me trouble." With that he began to walk towards the door as if to leave. "Have fun with your quest to save the planet, just leave me out of it."

Kisara's eyes flashed and she determinedly pushed herself shakily to her feet, throwing off Mahad's helping hand. She crossed the room as quickly as her condition would allow and stood directly in front of Seto, blocking his path. "So that's it then? You're just going to leave and pretend it never happened?"

Seto met her fierce blue gaze with his own, "That was the general idea. You can stay here or you can come with me but none of this crazy stuff comes with—"

A resounding "SLAP" echoed throughout the room followed by absolute silence. Seto reached up to his reddening cheek.

"I know you're stubborn, Seto but this has gone too far. You cannot just leave, those people, no, those _monsters_ will hunt you down and when, not if, _when_ they find you they will not hesitate to kill you, to kill Mokuba…" She gave him a moment to let that sink in and the continued. "And even if you somehow manage to escape the initial attack, once Zorc has been reborn he will annihilate the entire world, you and everything you love included. I was there the last time Zorc walked the earth, I know that if we don't stop him now, then everything will be destroyed and Seto, we need you to do it. I'm not asking you to change everything you believe, I'm not asking you to help them—" She gestured to everyone behind her—"I'm not even asking you to help me, I'm only asking you to save yourself."

Silence fell again, all eyes were on the pair as they glared at each other with flashing blue ones of their own. Suddenly Seto grabbed Kisara's hand and pulled her out of the room slamming the door behind him, his back becoming turned to her in the process.

She watched him uncertainly, waiting for him to make a move. She knew that slapping Seto, regardless of what life he was in, was a dangerous move but something had to be done to make him listen, to make him understand and he wasn't leaving her many alternatives.

After several long drawn out seconds he turned to face her. His eyes were no longer as steely as they had been before but flashes of anger could still be seen behind them. His voice was quiet and calculating, "if you wanted a complete metamorphoses, if you wanted me to follow along blindly like some converted fool, then prepare to be very disappointed. However, I will help you, I will help them but only, only because this threatens me and this threatens the one—the ones I care about."

She smiled weakly, "Thank—"

He held up a hand to stop her and his voice became harder. "But let me make something inescapably clear to you, you will never, _ever_ slap me like that again do you understand?"

She nodded gravely. "Yes, I understand."

"Good, then..." He sighed, "Let's get this over with."

After one more quick glance between them, the two reentered the room. Everyone's questions as to what had transpired outside were answered without words when Seto reached out and took the Millennium Rod from the Pharaoh's open hand (it seemed he had convinced Yugi to let him take over after Seto's dramatic exit).

As Seto took the relic, the Pharaoh looked at the man who had been his arch rival for the past five millennia and attempted a small simile. "I look forward to dueling _with_, instead of against you Kaiba."

His smile was not returned. "Yeah you just better not screw up or get in my way, Atem."

The Pharaoh blinked, seeming shocked by his choice of address.

Seto narrowed his eyes. "What, you didn't expect to call you 'my Pharaoh' did you?"

The Pharaoh opened his mouth, intending to inquire as to how Seto could know his ancient name but he was cut off by Bakura. "While I'm sure we all find this little moment quite touching, I'm afraid we have much more pressing matters at hand." The second sound had escaped Bakura's lips, the air of the room had changed drastically, becoming cold and charged with animosity.

"And what matter might that be Tomb Robber?" spat Mahad, his words filled with hatred.

Bakura merely smirked in the magician's direction. "If past experiences are anything to be learned from, then I think it is safe to assume that Malik can sense and track the presence of Millennium Items."

"Go on." said the Pharaoh, his voice monotone.

"Kaiba, when did you obtain that item?"

"Today, Mokuba had it when I got home."

Mokuba nodded. "Yeah, I just found it lying there in his bed this morning."

Bakura sighed. "Yes well that must be the case then, unpleasant as it may be. I wasn't sure it was true at first when Malik found us in Egypt because I thought that perhaps he had simply gleaned Ishizu's and Odion's location from Marik's memories or from some unfortunate acquaintance of theirs. But now that he's showed up and attacked Kaiba's mansion looking for the Millennium Rod right after it appeared... there is no mistaking it, Malik can and will track us through the Millennium items."

"So you're saying that he could be on his way here _now_?" asked Pegasus in a fearful tone.

"I don't know," he responded, not diverting his eyes from the Pharaoh. "That would depend on how quickly he can recover from a confrontation with the Blue Eyes. But I can assure you that as soon as he is able, he will find us and I doubt that this time he will come so ill prepared."

"Maybe we could mask the magical signal the Items are giving off?" offered Mana who had come up to stand next to Mahad and the Pharaoh.

Bakura sneered at her remark. "I believe your little apprentice needs more training Mahad."

Both magicians glared.

"While a spell could be made to dampen or even extinguish the presence of a single Item, the amount of magic and time it would take to cover up four is well beyond our reach."

Mahad blinked in surprise at the thief. "How did you—"

His fierce gaze fell on the mage. "Do you think me to be so easily tricked Mahad? I knew you were in possession of the Millennium Ring since you first entered this life. That relic once called _me_ master after all." As if in response to his words, the glowing shape of the Ring became visible beneath Mahad's robes.

"What do you propose we do then?" asked the Pharaoh, for the moment putting aside their differences. "We can't forfeit the Millennium Items, as they are a great source of power to us and would turn deadly in his hands. I suppose we could fight him but..." He glanced worriedly over to Seto and Kisara. Both of them looked pale and Kisara was still so weak that her legs were trembling slightly. "I doubt we could win such a fight."

"For once, I agree with you," answered the thief. "There is however a place where Malik couldn't trace us."

"You best speak quickly Thief, for our patience is wearing thin," said Mahad dangerously.

Bakura smiled wickedly in response. "I'll help you but...you'll have to trust me."

"Why you!" Mahad stepped forwards and raised his staff obviously contemplating doing something extremely painful to the Thief King.

The Pharaoh held out his hand, stopping Mahad's actions. "For now, my friend, it seems we have no choice. I don't like it either but Ishizu predicted that if we did not, all hope would be lost. I'm willing to follow along with her prediction for now."

Mahad fell silent as if something the Pharaoh had said effected him deeply. He lowered his staff. "As you wish, my Pharaoh."

"I'd listen to him," commented Seto, his arms folded. "Either you're on the same team or you're not. If you're not, I suggest you stop pretending that you are."

The Pharaoh nodded. _The last thing I expected was for __**Seto**__ say something like that but he's right. We don't have a chance of stopping Zorc or even Malik if we are constantly fighting eachother._ "Please continue Bakura."

"Oh really? I thought perhaps that you'd all like to continue bickering until Malik blasts the door down."

Seto glared. "That comment goes for you too. Either help us or get out."

Bakura smirked. "You really should have been king instead of him, things would have been much more...efficient." He turned back to the Pharaoh. "To get straight to the point, I have a sort of safe house, a place where the magical beacon given off by the Millennium Items will be completely canceled out. I used to use it to hide my location from that annoying spirit known as Shadi and anyone else who wanted the Items that I managed to steal."

"How did you come to posses such a place?" asked the Pharaoh. No suspicion could be heard in his voice but Bakura had no doubt that it was there. "I enchanted it of course. It took me several months to complete it and since Malik is probably recovering from his last battle, we should be able to reach it without his knowing if we leave immediately."

"Very well," nodded the Pharaoh. "Lead the way Bakura."

Bakura seemed taken aback. "What that's it? No yelling or arguing? No over scrutiny of my motives?"

"No," replied the Pharaoh calmly. "Though I don't know why you are helping us, I know it must benefit you in some way to do so and you would never do anything that would threaten you getting something that you desire."

The Thief King smiled. "I see you've finally caught on." He glanced around the room at all his enemies turned allies. "The next few days shall be interesting to say the least..."

Within the next ten minutes, everyone was ready and leaving the Game Shop for this so called "safe location". As they walked off into the falling darkness after the snowy haired thief, the Pharaoh reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Bakura whirled around meeting the Pharaoh's gaze with a glare as he pushed off the offending hand.

The Pharaoh's voice was soft but determined. "I'm trusting you, it would be wise if you didn't...disappoint me."

"As you said yourself," retorted the Thief King. "It wouldn't be to my advantage to do so."

The Pharaoh nodded his head and Bakura once again turned his attention towards the embracing darkness he always seemed to call home._ Revenge will be mine Pharaoh, and you and your friends will help me to get it. _

**sssSsss**

Phew...well that concludes chapter sixteen, I think it's actually the longest one I've written yet. Anyway, please review I love to hear from you, it's inspiring and good for my ego.

-Asiera

P.S. Guess who's two thirds of the way done with chapter seventeen already?


	17. Darkness Calls

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but now that I'm technically an adult, I'm probably old enough to own something...

AN: Sorry for the wait but graduating High School tends to take up a lot of my time. Though after this Saturday (day of the ceremony) I'll be totally free for the summer and able to update a lot more often. Anyway, here I am again hauling with me another great and lengthy chapter of Heart of the Cards. Please enjoy and review if you would.

Today's Super Special Awesome Award is again granted to the amazing Written Parody. This is like a historical moment, since no one's ever gotten it twice in a row like that. Congratulations girl! This is the reason for her awesomeness (Just take out the spaces): http : // s 171 . photobucket . com / albums / u294 / X _ danik _ x / Heart % 20 of % 20 the % 20 Cards /

**Chapter XVII**

**Darkness Calls**

"Ow," muttered Marik yet again. This was about the hundredth time he tripped and/or stubbed his toe in this utter darkness. Judging by thump and small exclamation a little to his left, Bakura wasn't fairing much better. Marik sighed and slumped down on the cold misty ground. "This is hopeless, I can't see more then a foot in front of me." He sighed. "How do we know we're not just walking around in circles?"

Noticing that Marik's voice had gotten fainter, Bakura tuned around and, stretching his hands awkwardly before him, walked back to where he guessed Marik was. "I guess we really don't but I'd much rather keep moving then sit around and wait for whatever was making that growling sound a while back to find us."

Marik sighed again. "That was my _stomach_, Bakura."

"Oh...Well still, we can't just give up. I—" Bakura was cut off by Marik who tried to cover his mouth (he ended up hitting Bakura's nose).

"Shh! Did you feel that?"

"What?" asked Bakura quietly holding his throbbing nose. "You assaulting my face?"

"No, didn't it just get..." He searched for the right word to describe the sensation that had just shot through his body. "The air feels more...dark, cold....sinister. As if these shadows just became tangible beings."

Bakura let go of his nose and looked at Marik's dim silhouette with concern. While he couldn't feel what Marik did, what he was describing sounded eerily familiar to something he had felt countless times in the past. If he was right... _God I hope I'm not right... _

Marik shook himself and stood up. "It's gone now, let's just keep going."

"You sure you're alright?" asked Bakura, still unconvinced.

"Yeah, I—" Suddenly Marik doubled over and dropped to his knees letting out a scream of agony.

Bakura was immediately at his side but Marik didn't notice the British boy's presence, all he felt was searing unbearable pain. It felt as if white hot flames were quickly spreading over him, enveloping his entire body, leaving him only able to writhe and scream helplessly.

sssSsss

The old rusty hinges of a heavy wooden door creaked and groaned in protest as a pale hand forced it open. The figure's already near silent steps were further muffled by the thick layer of dust that coated everything. Brown cold eyes searched the shadows until they fell upon the object they were looking for. There was a small click and an old flickering light lit up the previously undisturbed room as well as the thief who now stood in its center.

He glanced around him, letting his eyes take in the many treasures and trinkets he had acquired over the years he had spent living in this century. By looking at his hoard of gems, gold, and various other valuable items, one would think Bakura would be pleased but the thief's gaze remained unchanged.

The Thief King let out a long rattling breath, glad to finally be alone. Now that they had made it to the safe house and he was out of the prying gaze of the Pharaoh and his followers, Bakura could stop pretending.

Within seconds the thief crashed to the floor gasping as he allowed all the pain he'd been denying for the past few hours to wash over him. While most of his wounds had subsided into dull throbs with a sharp twinge here and there, his hand still burned with fresh pain as if Malik was continuously slicing through his flesh. That wasn't the worst of it though. The source of his near agony was pouring through an empty gap in the pit of his soul. A crevasse that had started with the massacre of Ku Elna and had grown throughout his life into a massive black canyon. He had been able to bury its entrance under hate and malice for so long but ever since he had learned the truth a little over a year ago, it had been reopened and revenge seemed his only path to true peace. And now that his hikari, the only source of light in his otherwise black spirit, was gone too, the pain, sorrow, and feelings of utter solitude were stronger and realer than ever.

Bakura bit his lip as his hand sung particularly painfully. He angrily tore the bandage off and stared down at the wound. Dark blood oozed from the gash which was surrounded by a nasty purple color; it practically pulsed with black magic. _This mark...it...it makes me just another slave to the Dark One once again! _

"DAMN IT!" he yelled smashing his fist into the wooden floor. "Why is this happening to me again?!" The Thief snapped his head upwards to shout at the musty ceiling up to the gods he had long ago stopped praying to. "I've been through nothing but shit and suffering all my life, and for what?! To fall short?! To have everything snatched away and be left with nothing but an empty black soul once again?!" Shadow Magic begin pulsating around him in response to his rage and he felt the dark creature he had been cursed to bear shift within him, its scaly form agitated by his flood of emotions. "Why?! Why couldn't you at least left me my revenge?!" He lowered his face, snowy white locks falling into his eyes. "Why do you hate me?"

In his rage Bakura had violently shoved a nearby wooden cabinet over, showering the floor in shining trinkets. After several more pain wracked minutes he lifted his head, panting from the effort of controlling the darkness within him. A glimmer on the wall in the space that the cabinet had been blocking caught the thief's eye.

Compared to everything else it the room, the tattered piece of sheer ebony cloth endowed with a few warn looking gold coins was nothing special, yet it somehow managed to hold Bakura's gaze. The dull object was swaying slightly from the vibrations the falling shelves had caused, the coins clinking softly against each other. The small noise seemed to spark some form of hope in the thief's eyes, rekindling the fire that always seemed to burn behind those brown orbs.

"_I can't give up, not now that I've come so far,_" he whispered, his eyes still locked on the strange item. "There has to be a way." He pushed himself off of the ground and in a few quick steps he had crossed the floor and had somewhat regained his normal proud swagger. Unrolling one of the dusty old papyrus scrolls that littered this area of the room, Bakura began pouring over the ancient text looking for some loop hole in the soul binding magic that now held tightly to his spirit and to his will.

sssSsss

Marik stumbled and winced clutching his still burning chest. Almost immediately Bakura was at his side trying to help him in anyway possible.

"What's wrong are you—"

"For the hundredth time Bakura I'm alright!" answered Marik, more harshly than he had intended. Sensing more then seeing the other boy's cringing reaction to his words he softened. "Sorry, but you don't need to worry, it's over. It just...well it still hurts like hell from time to time."

Bakura nodded helping Marik back onto his feet. Though it had been several hours since the incident he knew how much it probably still hurt. In fact, he knew exactly what Marik was and had been going through, having experienced the same kind of pain himself whenever his yami was severely injured (this usually involved a Shadow Game).

He knew it was possible for the other, more powerful spirit to share the pain equally, or even block it out all together but it seemed that Malik was just as merciless to Marik as the Thief King had been to him, if not worse.

"I hate to say it," commented Bakura, trying to brighten the mood, "but the fact that you were hurting so badly means that Malik just seriously got his arse kicked."

Marik scoffed. "Yeah, which also means I'm going to be pretty sore when I get my body back..." Marik suddenly paused and fixed Bakura's silhouette with a quizzical look. "Since when did _you_ start swearing?"

"Oh that," said Bakura blushing slightly. "I guess when you share a body with someone like my yami for long enough those things kinda wear off on you."

"I see. Well, I wasn't in there long myself but the man has some pretty perverted and violent thoughts."

"You read his thoughts?!" gasped Bakura. He remembered the last time he had tried to pry into his yami's past. He had only caught a glimpse of a memory, or at least that's what he thought it was. There had been a lot of flames and a shadowed figure that seemed to dance within them, accompanied by a small tinkling sound like that of hundreds of tiny wind chimes. That was all he managed to see and hear before a very angry Thief King had harshly shoved him out. Suffice it to say, he didn't have a very pleasant day afterwards...

"No, I wouldn't dare. They were just surface ones that popped over. Anyway we—"

Suddenly both boys stopped and stood perfectly still, each staring off in to the distance at the exact same point.

"Is that...?" whispered Marik breathlessly.

"Light!" Exclaimed Bakura.

"Finally!" sighed Marik. "A way out of this hell-hole." With that, he took off at a near run.

"Wait!" yelled Bakura, quickly grabbing the back of Marik's shirt and accidentally some of his platinum blond hair. These actions caused the Egyptian to fall painfully on his backside.

"What the hell was that for?" asked Marik as he rubbed the back of his now sore head.

"Sorry," muttered Bakura, "but I don't think we should run recklessly into this. It could be that it's a trap laid by a shadow creature or worse, that could be where Malik is."

"Right," said Marik picking himself up for what seemed the millionth time today. "I suppose running blindly over there would be pretty stupid. I just pray to Ra that that is a way out and _not_ Malik's lair."

"Could be both," shrugged Bakura. And together the boys set off in a brisk but cautious pace towards the source of the flickering light.

sssSsss

Bakura angrily threw another scroll across the room into the steadily growing pile of crumpled up ancient text. So far he had found nothing that allowed him to escape from the binds of the Soul Dagger. _Except killing the owner or getting him to take back the curse. Both of which are nigh impossible. _He sighed in frustration. _Perhaps that magician knows of some way to at least delay its soul devouring effects, should I disobey Malik. That may give me the extra precious seconds I need to put an end to that miserable bastard. _

The thief scoffed at his own ridiculous "plan". Judging from Kaiba's and Kisara's accounts, Malik's power had grown incredibly and had already far surpassed his. On his own he wouldn't stand a chance and involving the Pharaoh? Ha! That was probably the stupidest, craziest thing he had ever thought of. As of now, he was screwed.

But things were about to get much, much worse. In an instant the atmosphere in the small room became cold and black; dark tendrils creeped out of the shadows wrapping ethereally around everything they touched, bringing along with them an icy feeling of dread. The Thief King was no longer alone.

Bakura snarled and moved quickly backwards until his back was pressed against the rough wall. As he did so, a soft dark chuckle edging on the insane side filled the small room.

"Show yourself Malik!" spat the Thief King. "I have no time for your foolish games!"

The shadows swirled and amassed in the center of the room, shifting and pulsating like so many black slugs until they transformed themselves into the wickedly grinning form of Malik. "I see a good beating has done nothing to still your sharp tongue," he sneered. "Perhaps another lesson is in order..."

"You're one to talk, Malik," answered the thief, returning his sneer with one even more filled with hatred. "From what I heard, Kaiba and Kisara wiped the floor with your sorry as—"

The Thief King's last words turned into a straggled cry as his own right hand flew up to his throat crushing mercilessly down on his windpipe. He struggled with himself for several long seconds but could not get the marked hand to release. Eventually, Bakura's legs gave out and he fell struggling to the floor, his lungs screaming to be filled. Malik's evil grin only widened as the strangling thief's pale skin began to turn a bluish color.

Finally when it came down to letting Bakura breath or his loss of consciousness, Malik lazily waved his hand and the thief released himself from his own death grip, falling face down on the floor gasping and coughing at the dark spirit's feet.

"You see?" cooed Malik in mock concern. "I have complete control of your actions." He began walking carelessly around the room examining the various trinkets. "Your life hangs in the balance. On a mere whim I could have you take that knife you're so fond of..." And with a small gesture from Malik, Bakura's marked hand did just that. "And have you slit your own throat."

The thief's eyes widened as the blade's edge came dangerously close to his jugular.

Malik grinned. "Or not." And he laughed crazily as the thief inadvertently threw the dagger to the other side of the room. Then his voice schizophrenically grew deadly again. Stepping over to Bakura, Malik lifted his face by means of a crooked finger under the thief's chin, so Bakura's brown eyes were forced to look directly up into Malik's crazed ones. "A very precarious situation if you ask me."

Bakura winced as Malik's hot breath scorched his face.

"So if I were you..." he began absentmindedly tracing a finger lightly over the place where Bakura's scar used to be. "I'd do exactly...as...I...say." With his last three words, Malik dug his fingernail into Bakura's flesh, leaving a little trail of blood to trickle down the thief's cheek from a fresh wound where his scar would have ended.

Bakura winced. He knew retaliation would only end in more pain or perhaps worse... _I'm nobody's slave and Ra be damned if I am going to be treated like one! _In one swift movement he swung his left arm in a hard fast circular motion knocking away Malik's, then he planted his right hand on the ground and, shifting all his weight over to it, pulled his leg out from beneath him, aiming a quick painful kick at Malik's chest.

The dark spirit flew backwards landing hard on his back. In an instant the thief was on top of him, pinning his arms to his sides with his knees. Bakura grabbed Malik with both hands by his cloak's collar and lifted him up as painfully as possible to mere inches from his livid bleeding face. "I am not a whipped dog Malik and I have no intention of becoming yours!"

Malik laughed. "You know you really are something," he managed through his chuckles. "I nearly kill you twice...no three times and you still have some fight in you!" The insane laughter continued as Bakura became more and more furious. Suddenly Malik's psychotic laughter vanished, his voice became low and deadly, and his eyes cold slits. "Perhaps you need another lesson..."

The Thief King didn't know what hit him, all he knew was one second he was on top of Malik, the next his head was connecting painfully with the ceiling light, shattering it, and now he was cringing from a fresh bout of searing pain on the floor.

Bakura shakily lifted his stinging head, his eyes searching the now nearly pitch black room for his attacker.

Dark laughter echoed throughout the blankness. "Not so high and mighty now are you Thief _King_. Ow, you know that kinda hurt...your little stunt back there..." The laughter got louder and Malik's silhouette became visible right next to the thief's left ear. "_My turn_," he whispered.

sssSsss

Marik and Bakura had nearly reached the light when they heard the screams.

"Oh God..." muttered Marik. "It sounds as though someone is dying..."

Bakura winced as the bloodcurdling screams reached his ears. He couldn't explain why but the horrible sound seemed... familiar to him. Each agonized cry felt as if it shot right through him, going straight to his heart. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks, a look of utter terror consuming his innocent features. "Yami!" he yelled, and before Marik could do anything, the white haired boy broke into a run, headed full speed towards the screams and the light.

sssSsss

Bakura pushed himself up on shaking arms, breathing hard. He was beaten, anyone could see that, yet the King of Thieves still refused to submit. "I...will...never give in to you." He raised his head, brown eyes even now glaring defiantly up at Malik. "You are nothing more then a pawn. A...disposable slave to the Dark One. Now either tell me what it is you want of me or kill me, for I will not degrade myself, bowing to the likes of you."

Malik raised his hand in anger, dark purple energy crackling in his palm as he prepared to unleash another devastating attack on the miserable thief.

"No!" screamed a heavily accented voice and Malik's shot went wide, instead obliterating a gold laden table to the thief's right, leaving only rising black mist were it had stood moments ago.

Malik angrily threw off the offending spirit that had just tackled him full force and the Thief King's eyes widened when he saw that it was his hikari who had just prolonged his life, even if it looked like it would only be for a few minutes longer.

"You?!" spat Malik in disbelief as he stared at the shimmering spirit of the small boy who was glaring just as defiantly up at him as his darker half had been only seconds before.

"Leave my yami alone," spoke Bakura slowly in as threatening a voice as he could muster.

For a few beats Malik could only stare at the boy, then the corner of his mouth twitched and the evil spirit broke out in hysterics.

The Thief King stared in complete shock at his light, whom he could just see as a shinning transparent shadow. _He must still be in the Shadow Realm which means I can't do a thing to protect him... Damn it, Malik will tear him to shreds! _"What are you doing, Boy?!" yelled the thief from the corner. "You're no match for him! You'll only make the situation ten times worse! Get out of here before you get us both killed!"

Bakura turned his face so that he could not see his yami's, yet his voice was strong when he spoke. "Of course, you seemed to have everything sorted on your own."

The thief's eyes widened more. _He's...__**defying**__ me?_

Malik reined in his dark laughter. "Well you are full of surprises aren't you, Boy?" He chuckled again turning his attention back to the Thief King. "I'd be a bit more grateful, thief. Thanks to his amusing display...I'll let you live a little longer. I may have use for the both of you yet."

It took all of the thief's control to bite back a smart remark.

"Provided that you'll do as I say," said Malik with a sneer. "Otherwise I'll just let that lovely mark have it's way with you since I tire of keeping it at bay and disciplining you myself. Tossing your sorry hide around is not near as rewarding as I thought it would be," he mused almost to himself.

Dark Bakura's eyes narrowed further. "By all means spit it out already, for I too tire of your little game."

Malik laughed again. "Well naturally, seeing as _you're_ the one getting tossed."

At a pleading glance from his hikari, Bakura remained silent.

Malik smirked and picked up the Thief King's knife, which had, sometime during the struggle, come to lay at his feet. He began running it over with a lazy eye. "I, we, the Dark Lord and I, require a control of a certain card so that our plans may proceed."

"Don't you mean a 'certain _three_ cards'?"

"Hmm, good guess," he said running his finger over the point pulling back quickly when it drew blood, "but no." He nonchalantly threw the dagger over his shoulder. Then without warning Malik flew across the room so his mouth was right next to Bakura's ear. "_Listen carefully thief_,"whispered Malik, his hot breath tickling Bakura's ear, "_for here is what you must do..._"

**sssSsss**

AN: The plot thickens. We're really coming down to it now. I'd say we're about...two thirds of the way through. And that means...I better make some headway with the romances. Next chapter: Unheard, Unspoken Confessions.

Please review and leave concrit so I know how I can improve,

-Asiera


	18. Unheard Unspoken Confessions

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh but I do own this awesome story which in my opinion is better then GX or 5Ds.

AN: Sorry for the wait but I was on two trips, my mom had surgery, my sister got braces, I'm working with pre-college stuff, and my grandma had a birthday. I'm back now and I'm absolutely positive that you will all adore this new chapter.

Before we get started I just what to say thank you too all my fans, I'm _almost_ speechless due to the sheer amazingness of so many of your reviews. Thank you all so much, you were so awesome I couldn't choose between you. So this update's Super Special Awesome Award goes to a few people: Written Parody, warriorsfan12528, Idiotwhocantthinkofapenname, Atem's Sister Atea, and millenniumthief.

I really can't thank you enough for giving me the inspiration to continue. And now...the chapter!

**Chapter XVIII**

**Unheard and Unspoken Confessions**

Malik drew his demon like face back, sadistic grin still in place. "Well," he asked, his voice dripping with malice, "what do you think?"

"I think," growled the Thief King from the floor, "That you're insane. There is no way that even _he_ would be stupid enough to—"

Malik cut him off with a laugh. "I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand. You wouldn't understand love if it came up and smacked you in the face." Malik waved his hand dismissively and the shadow mist that had settled to the floor became agitated once more and began to glide silently over the broken furniture and scattered treasures towards the feet of the man who had summoned it. As the shadows dissipated, so did Malik's form as well as the frightened image of the thief's hikari.

"Do as I say, Thief, and perhaps you and your hikari will live to see the new dawn." Then he was gone, leaving Bakura alone and in the dark, on the floor of the once magnificent hoard room.

Bakura knelt there for who knows how long before his shaking limbs allowed him to stand. He staggered and then, once his balanced was regained, walked with all the dignity he could muster towards the door.

The Thief King had almost reached his current destination when his silent foot collided with something, causing a quiet jingling sound that resembled delicate shards of glass breaking and falling to the floor. Bakura leaned down and picked up the object that had held his fierce brown eyes what seemed like lifetimes ago, lifetimes overflowing with pain.

He raised the dingy piece of cloth to his face and breathed deeply. It smelled of old forgotten rooms and dusty shelves but long lost memories provided what time had stolen away: the scent of a wild desert wind carrying the promise of a lush tantalizing oasis across hot desert sands.

_"You wouldn't understand love if it came up and smacked you in the face..." _Bakura sighed and closed his eyes before shoving the seemingly worthless silk fragment under his black trench coat, beneath the fabric of his striped shirt so it rested coolly against his bruised chest. _Perhaps I would be better off if you were right, Malik._

sssSsss

Marik watched with wide eyes from behind a shadowy wall where he had been hiding, trying desperately to devise a plan of escape that didn't involve both he and Bakura dying, ever since the latter had run recklessly into Malik's domain. He mentally cursed as he watched the Thief King's light back away from the advancing spirit before him. If Marik didn't think of something quick, the boy was as good as dead.

As Bakura pushed himself backwards across the hard slimy floor he somehow managed to keep his face free of fear—a gripping terrible fear that—no wait...he was not afraid. Granted, this creature had just forced the King of Thieves to his knees moments ago but the more Bakura thought of that horrid scene, the stronger the fiery anger that had lodged itself within his heart burned. In fact, he found himself glaring up at Malik's intimidating form.

This act of defiance was not missed on the grinning master of this realm. "You best watch yourself, little boy. You're beginning to remind me of your other half and that...that is a dangerous thing to try to imitate."

Bakura didn't answer, just as surprised by his facial expression as Malik seemed to be.

Bemused, Malik glanced at the boy in front of him and smirked before continuing to carry out his dark intentions. He needed a reaper and this little angel would do just perfectly. The thought caused his grin to widen and impatiently he raised his hands, beginning to chant. His tone was harsh and cold. It sounded as though he was attempting to summon the devil himself from the depths of hell.

Marik's grip on the wall became iron, his fingers turning white as the Egyptian words fell upon his understanding ears. At that moment, he wished with all his might that the ancient language was just as lost to him as it was to the rest of the world.

Pure black energy flashed and a rift darker than death itself began to open behind the white haired boy. "Anubis be damned," muttered Marik in horror, "he's actually done it..."

Bakura felt an icy wind chilled by agony, despair, and wrath pierce his very soul as it drifted out of the flashing hell gate behind him. He was frozen with an unknown, uncontrollable fear, unable to run, unable to turn and face the source of this utter terror.

Marik felt those same emotions enveloping him making his knees weak but instead of staring into that dark abyss he focused on the tiny bright spirit only a few meters from its gaping maw. He knew if he acted now that they would both be captured or killed but if he didn't... The thought of that light being extinguished forever caused him to act.

Just as the gate opened further sending a deadly wave of black magic hurtling forwards Marik launched himself at the frozen British boy barely knocking them both out harm's immediate way.

Malik cackled madly at the pitiful scene before him and his laughter increased as the two teens' eyes were inescapably drawn to the hole in the world that had now been fully realized. "Witness the true source of my power!" raged the mad man before them. "Zorc is returning and our Malevolent Master thirsts for the souls of those who tremble in his dark shadow!" He turned staring into the two pairs of frighted eyes next to him; his voice was that of a hissing asp. "And you shall help him get those souls... The real game is just beginning."

sssSsss

The Pharaoh awoke in a cold sweat, breaking from the grips of a nightmare he couldn't remember. Though the details of the dream were lost to his foggy mind, the feeling that he had lost something, no some_one_ dear to him pounded through his slightly trembling form. Unbidden, the memories surrounding the Seal of Orichalcos, memories he'd tried to lock away, flooded into his head. Instinctively, he reached out towards Yugi's Soul Room. Once in the world of their linked minds, he quietly pushed the door open to find the seventeen year old asleep and slightly snoring. Atem smiled at the small sound that accompanied each of Yugi's breaths. Yugi only snored when he was really tired and the Pharaoh knew that he must be exhausted.

Closing the door just as quietly as he had opened it, the Pharaoh left the mental hallway that made up the divide between their two spirits and entered back into reality, intending to follow Yugi's example but he couldn't shake the disturbing feeling that still lingered around him.

After a few more fruitless minutes of tossing back and forth the Pharaoh let out an exasperated sigh and stood up, deciding that having a closer look around the Thief King's hideout would be better than laying in bed staring up at the dark ceiling.

Knowing he'd probably regret the decision to give up on sleep, Atem threw on his black sleeveless shirt and slid a pair of jeans up over his boxers. Forsaking socks, because he was having difficulty finding them in the dark, he exited his new accommodations into a dimly lit hallway, his bare feet treading lightly on the cold wood floor. The hallway was fancy yet practical and was lined with several doors that opened into several more bedrooms like the one he'd just came from.

The Pharaoh continued to walk down the hall as it turned sharply to the left and went on for a little longer before ending in downward leading stairs. The steps were lit by silvery moon light which was shinning through the gathering clouds and pouring in from a giant window situated in the wall along which the stairway ran.

From what the Pharaoh had seen and the little that the Thief King had told them of this place, it used to be a sort of theater, complete with a large auditorium and stage. Apparently, Bakura's father had had it renovated and was intending to use it as a museum of some kind where he and his colleagues could display their findings to prospective buyers and exhibitors. But as Mr. Ryou always seemed to be on some sort of business trip, the renovations had been completed but the place remained abandoned. This, along with the sturdy iron fence and lockable gate that surrounded the place made it the ideal location for the Thief King to plan and carry out his many schemes.

Once the Pharaoh had reached the bottom he hesitated, unsure of where to begin his investigation and beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all. He very much doubted that the Thief King would be pleased to find him wandering around down here. He was about to turn around and head back upstairs when a muffled yet noisy bang originating from the auditorium met his ears. Intrigued, the Pharaoh crossed the reception hall and quietly opened one of the large double doors that lead to the theater.

A warm familiar smile appeared on his face almost instantly when his amethyst eyes found the source of the noise. Mana, who for some reason had been up on the room's stage, had somehow managed to trip, knock over an empty wooden display table, and fall into the stage curtain, which she was now struggling to get out of. The only reason he knew it was her and not some clumsy Phantom of the Opera, was that he could recognize those frustrated mutterings anywhere. Also, Mana had a certain aura about her. Just being around her made him feel bright, happy and...well, excited inside. He really couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

Chuckling slightly, he hurried down the aisle and began to attempt to disentangle the red curtain from around the struggling girl inside of it. "Mana," he laughed, "don't struggle so much, you're making this more difficult then it needs to be."

Her squirming lessened considerably. "Atem?" came the muffled inquiry from beneath the thick folds of curtain.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, finally managing to free her from her cloth prison. The tan skinned brunette smiled up at him blushing slightly from embarrassment at her current predicament as she tried to fix her now disheveled hair.

"How exactly did you manage this one?" he questioned kindly brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes that she had missed with his forefinger. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but he thought her blush deepened.

"Oh it's nothing, I just tripped on these silly things," she said gesturing down at her feet.

The Pharaoh blinked in surprise when he realized that she was no longer in her Dark Magician Girl outfit. Instead she had on a bright pink, v-necked, halter top and a blue denim layered skirt that came down to about her mid thigh. The cause of her tripping incident seemed to be the three inch pink wedge heels with ribbons that laced up her ankle and lower calf.

The blush Mana had just managed to get rid of returned when she noticed his stare. "What?" she asked somewhat defensively. "Mahad said it would be better if we blended in so as not to draw attention to ourselves. So I've been looking through this—" and she thrust a girl's fashion magazine in his face—"and magicking an outfit together." She sighed "But I really wasn't anticipating that these would be so hard to balance in." She lifted one of the offending shoes off the floor and admired it for a moment. "They are pretty cute though, huh?"

"Mana, I'm a guy. Don't ask me for advice on fashion."

She laughed. "That's exactly what you told me back home in Egypt."

He blinked in confusion. "What?" Instantly he regretted saying it.

Mana's ever happy smile faded away and her head drooped. "You still don't remember do you?"

The disappointment and sadness that now clung about his closest childhood friend made Atem's heart ache but the irrefutable truth was that he didn't remember, not enough anyway. The memories that had been given back to him were only the "necessary" ones and had left him barely able recall his family and closest friends. Basically, his entire life was stolen from him. It was cruel and by no means fair.

"Mana," he whispered lifting her chin with a crooked finger so that she was forced to look him in the eyes. Again he felt a painful jolt in his chest when he saw that her's were shinning with unshed tears. "Mana, it kills me inside every time I am reminded of the fact that I hardly remember anything about my past or the ones that I care so deeply about."

"It's not your fault," she murmured quietly, wiping away an escaped tear. "You've done so much for your kingdom, your people, and a world that's not even yours...it's just so unfair that after all that..." she trailed off dejectedly.

"I know," he said wrapping her it a tight embrace. "I know but I want to remember so badly. Perhaps if you told me about the past it would spark something..."

Mana smiled and pulled back from his embrace, sad to leave it so soon but eager to help her king remember the past, remember her. "Alright," she said looking surprisingly optimistic for the current circumstances. "Let's give it a go." Mana then reached down and grabbed his two hands with hers and held them about chest high so that their palms were pressed together. After a reassuring smile she began to move her fingers, making a series of symbols on his open palms while slowly moving her hands back and forth in a complex pattern of circles and lines.

The Pharaoh was a first horrified by the notion that she expected him to remember some impossibly complicated hand shake—Joey had once tried to teach him a "quite simple" one and had gotten no where for weeks—but as he looked down at their hands, that emotion turned to shock as he realized that his were deftly following along with her's, albeit a bit clumsily.

She grinned up at him. "We used to do this. They're magical symbols used in the spells I cast followed by the counter symbol so nothing happens," she explained as their hands began to move faster and his movements became less clumsy. "I used to have _so_ much trouble remembering all of them but then you came up with this game to help me." She giggled. "Mahad was pretty impressed when I came back after the break with the entire first half of my spell book memorized. You never took any credit though; you told him it was all my idea."

He smiled back at her. "That does sound like something I would do. Tell me more..."

The next few hours were spent just like, the two old friends sitting on the floor next to the stage, their fingers intertwined in the elaborate patterns of the magic symbols, Atem just listening to Mana's tales and once in a while, embellishing on a scenario or two as a few of his old memories trickled back from some crevice of his mind where they had been locked away for so long.

Mana laughed, "I Probably shouldn't tell you this one..."

"No, by all means continue," he said returning her wide smile.

"Well it sorta involves Master Mahad and it's kinda embarrassing so..."

"Really?" questioned the Pharaoh raising an eyebrow. "Then please do tell."

"Alright, alright," she said giving in easily to him as she always did. "But you have to _promise_ not to tell him that I told you."

"Deal," agreed the Pharaoh grinning mischievously. Being around Mana made him feel like a kid again in so many ways and in others... He shook his head instead focusing intently on what Mana was about to say next.

But just as Mana had opened her mouth to tell Atem about the rather undignified incident involving him, her master, and a rather unsuspecting Nile Crocodile, the loud rumbling sound of an approaching thunderstorm reverberated through the room. Mana's aquamarine eyes went wide with excitement and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Oh my Ra Atem, you didn't tell me that the monsoons started tonight!"

Before the Pharaoh could tell her that in Japan it precipitated almost year round, even occasionally during early winter, the young apprentice had grabbed his hand and pulled him at top speed out of the room.

Just as the laughing, grinning pair had flung open the great oak front doors and had cleared the building's ornate wooden awning, the dark churning heavens above opened up and with a flash of screaming lightning releasing the torrents of icy droplets they had attempted so desperately to hold back.

Mana opened her arms welcomingly to the chilling winds and tilted her blissful face back so that it was fully exposed to the kissing droplets. In seconds she was drenched, her newly acquired shirt clinging tightly to her smooth tanned body. At that moment the Pharaoh—Atem knew that the stormy gray clouds weren't the only ones loosing the battle to hold back pent up emotions and feelings.

At first Atem had dismissed these feelings as just pure joy at regaining his longest, truest friend after so many centuries and then as just a manifestation of their unbreakable bond of camaraderie, much like the one Téa had drawn on his hand all those years ago. But he quickly discovered that this bond was not composed of just friendship but something much, much more powerful. It left him weak in the knees at odd times, caused his cheeks to burn, his stomach to feel as if contained hundreds of frightened swallows, and his heart to pound in his chest and ears as though it were a ceremonial drum.

The King of Egypt shook his head and then adjusted it so that he was looking skyward; this was a problem. For one, this was _not_ his body and the last thing Yugi needed was the Pharaoh's inability to control his feelings added to the already staggering list of issues and concerns. Second, Mana was his life long _friend_ and he had no idea how she would react should he decide to give voice to his current predicament.

Directing her attention back to the earth she stood on, Mana noticed that the Pharaoh had too been staring at the raging sky but he was doing it so intently, as if it could answer some conundrum that was swirling about his handsome head.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked breaking him from his revere.

Atem turned his attention to the beaming pixie before him, peering out from under his now wet and slightly drooping spikes of wild, surprisingly natural hair. The words escaped his lips before he even had a chance to think. "Yes," he stated, his eyes not moving from her soaked form. "Very beautiful." He would have smacked himself if he could've.

Mana merely cocked her head and laughed her wonderfully playful laugh at the odd way in which he answered her question. "You're weird Atem." Then she went about skipping and splashing through the forming puddles of icy sky water that sparkled eerily and magically with each flash of lightning.

The Pharaoh sighed as he watched her amusing antics. Losing her was something that he couldn't and wouldn't go through again, even if involved asking Mahad to seal his rather rash mouth shut. Mahad... Surly the magician would not be pleased at this latest development. Especially since he was already stretched to his breaking point between adapting to modern day society and the reappearance of the Thief King. Not to mention the fact that even _if_ Atem acted on his impulses, he would have no idea at how to properly proceed anyway. All things considered, he was much safer to stay silent and admire this charming angel from a distance. The only question that remained was whether or not that was even possible.

sssSsss

The silhouette of a certain snowy haired thief could be seen only as a black shadow, starkly contrasted against the stormy night as the the crackling lightning rent the heavens into jagged pieces. He glowered down from his exposed balcony at the scene beneath him. His keen eyes noted the way in which the King of Egypt looked at this lowly servant, the tender care in his touch as he pulled the giggling clumsy girl to her feet after she slipped and fell on the wet concrete. His flashing brown eyes burned with anger and fear because the thief knew that Malik was right. He only hoped that this "king" had more loyalty to the whole world than to one prancing rather endearing brunette.

The thief continued his slit eyed vigil until the two foolish teens had reentered the house. Love had a way of making people do foolish things, that, the Thief King knew with absolute certainty, was true.

sssSsss

Mana sighed as she wrung out her unruly brown locks. "I should probably get dried off before I go back to my room. Master Mahad will _not_ be pleased if he slips and falls because of a puddle of rain water," she mused to herself.

"There are some extra towels in my room," suggested the Pharaoh as he shook out his tricolored hair much in the same fashion that a dog would.

She giggled and nodded her sodden head. Grinning she followed the Pharaoh to his room muttering a simple heat spell that would leave her completely water free by the time they reached it. She just couldn't resist teasing him. The look on his face was always well worth the effort.

He opened the door that led to his chambers, gesturing to the small bathroom. "They're in there on the rack, you can—" He stopped mid sentence as he turned to face her, immediately noting that she was no longer in need of any means to dry herself. An amused smile of his own answered the one that was plastered on her face.

"That, is cheating."

She shrugged and he sighed then began digging for fresh pair of clothes from the suitcase located at the foot of his new bed. Finding the sought after items he headed for the washroom. "Be right back."

Mana nodded again and began to glance about the dimly lit room. It was a lot cleaner than she had expected but then again, Atem had only had a few hours in which to mess it up. She chuckled slightly when her wandering eyes noticed a discarded pair of small white articles her magazine had dubbed socks sticking out from under the nightstand. As she'd expected, Atem was still as disorganized and messy as ever.

Mana did a quick spell to check the time and nearly gasped when she realized just how late—or early—it really was. No wonder her eyelids were threatening to droop. She had really better get back to her room before Mahad woke up but it wasn't very polite to just leave without saying anything. Her tired mind completely forgot the oh so wonderful inventions called pen and paper, instead deciding that it would be better to wait perched on the edge of Atem's bed.

Well that didn't last long. Mana hadn't really taken into account how tired she was and how soft and inviting Atem's bed would feel.

sssSsss

No more than five minutes later the Pharaoh reemerged from the bathroom running a fluffy towel through his wild hair. He froze when he saw that in his absence Mana was no longer standing by the door but laying fast asleep in _his_ bed. He grimaced; that was a problem... _Oh well_, he sighed sitting down in the semi comfortable arm chair, not having the nerve to wake the peacefully sleeping magician's apprentice.

sssSsss

Bakura's face contorted in disgust and rage as he fed the wicked black fire contained within the reddening golden brazier before him. He mentally cursed the Dark Lord as his tongue began to twist around the hedonistic words that would form the simple yet binding net that could very well become the downfall of the entire world and the unraveling of his last chance at revenge.

As much as he hated to admit it, his fate, along with everyone else's, was in the hands of the Pharaoh.

sssSsss

The Pharaoh had just found a mostly comfortable position and was letting sleep claim him when a small whimper brought him back to reality. His amethyst eyes searched the dim room and fell upon Mana who had begun to toss back and forth the tiny whines coming from her slightly parted lips.

Almost instantly Atem was on his feet and had crossed the cool carpet over to where she lay. Siting quietly down on the edge of his bed he reached out a hand and shook her shoulder. "Mana. Mana wake up," he whispered.

This endeavor had no effect and Mana continued to mutter and tremble slightly. The Pharaoh seemed to remember that Mana was a very heavy sleeper and that nightmares were particularly hard to wake her from. So instead of continuing to futilely shake her shoulder, he did the next best thing he could think of. Positioning himself beside her in the bed, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close in what he hoped very much to be a comforting embrace. Stroking her silky hair he whispered, "Shhh, everything will be alright. I promise, as long as I'm around, I won't let anything bad happen to you."

The affect was almost instantaneous. Her fearful mutterings ceased and her shaking body relaxed against his. He felt the nearly irresistible urge to pull her as closely to him as he could but managed to keep still. After a few minutes of breathing in her sweet scent, he attempted to pull back but noticed that her hands were grasping tightly to the front of his shirt. Taking this as some sort of sign, the Pharaoh stayed where he was, one hand running through her smooth hair, the other in slow motions up and down her upper back. He let out a shaky breath, closed his eyes, and then almost inaudibly murmured, "I love you Mana..."

sssSsss

Several doors down, on the opposite side of the hallway, Mokuba was awakened by the sound of a door opening and then quietly shutting. Rolling over, he opened his bleary eyes just in time to see the dark shape of his brother almost silently walk over to his bed. The way Seto let himself fall down upon the sheets and let out a long shaking, exhausted, and yet strangely peaceful sigh, made Mokuba very much doubt that he had just come back from the bathroom.

"Seto?" inquired the curious boy, causing the older to jerk upwards with such force Mokuba believed that he would end up on the floor. This only intrigued him more. "What happened?"

Seto swallowed in an attempt to steady his voice, it was mostly a successful maneuver. "Nothing, Mokuba. Just go back to sleep." With that he laid back down allowing himself to sink softly into the folds of the sheets. He turned his head to the right and stared out the rain flecked window. The once violent storm was clearing and the dimming stars were becoming visible through the clouds. He smirked inwardly, finding the whole scene to be rather symbolic.

**sssSsss**

AN: I really hope that fluff was as enjoyable to read as it was to write. Well whether yes or no I'd love to hear about it so please do tell.

We've got a lot more action on the way and the first real Duel Monster's game of this story is coming up in a few more chapters. Oh my Ra! Have we really had a Yu-Gi-Oh story that's gone this long without a duel! Eeek! The world must be coming to an end or something... Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter: Doubt.

-Asiera


	19. Doubt

Disclaimer: Despite the long break in which I should have had ample time to plot and put into action my evil plan to steal Yu-Gi-Oh I am afraid that I am still no closer to owning the series...

AN: I have nothing more to say than _**!First Semester of College!**_ followed by an extremely stressed scream whilst I pull at my hair.

**Chapter XIX**

**Doubt**

Mahad awoke to the first rays of the familiar yet strange sun. The master magician sighed and kept his eyes shut for a few moments longer. Today was one of those days that he was not so thrilled to greet but despite this fact, all the training and monotonous habits from five thousand years ago forced Mahad to get up and face the many new problems that had reared their ugly heads in the past twenty-four hours.

As he crossed the odd slightly squishy floor to the modern day and much smaller equivalent of the Egyptian bath house, he called groggily to Mana whom he assumed to be sound asleep on the room's other bed. If there was anyone in the whole world that could make waking the dead look easy, it was Mana and it seemed this morning was no exception.

Mahad sighed at his lack of response and turned toward her bed intending to utilize more forceful methods but froze when his gray eyes fell upon her empty _undisheveled_ bed. His mind raced trying to remember when he'd last seen his bubbly apprentice. Last night he'd been so tired and overwhelmed by the current circumstances... As soon as he'd checked to make sure that the Thief King was telling the truth about the state of the magical barriers and that his Pharaoh was all right, he had gone straight to bed. His eyes widened. He'd left Mana _alone_ in the "auditorium"—as that thief had called it—to practice a few spells. If something had happened to her because of his carelessness....

Mahad quickly spelled his accustomed High Priest robes on and bolted down the hallway towards the Pharaoh's room, praying that Mana had spontaneously changed her lazy sleeping habits and was perhaps taking these new found early moments to talk with their king.

Scarce seconds later, a panting Mahad threw open the door to the Pharaoh's quarters startling the two teens who had moments ago been peacefully sleeping still wrapped in each other's embraces.

"Forgive me my Pharaoh for disturbing you like this at such an early hour," spoke Mahad quickly doing a small hurried bow, "but Mana is missing and I was wondering if you had seen—" The magician stopped dead, mid-sentence as his worried eyes fell upon the two youths and dilated in horror. Though the two had bolted apart as soon as they had heard Mahad enter, the man was able to guess accurately where they had been two seconds prior and he understandably assumed the worst.

Mahad was only able to stare dumbstruck at his very startled looking apprentice and slightly guilty looking Pharaoh. For the first time in a long time, Mahad felt real anger towards the two, especially Atem. Mahad hadn't been truly mad at him since before he'd taken the throne. Yet despite this anger, Mahad, like everyone else, had a place and he also knew that his gave him no right to question his king or his actions. _No matter how __**careless**__, __**foolish**__, or __**brash**__ those actions might be..._ He would keep his peace. He had no choice.

Once the initial shock had worn off and Mahad's frozen body had caught up with his racing mind the magician quickly ducked out of the room, closing the door briskly behind him. Leaning against the comforting coolness of the wood he attempted to steady his voice. "Mana, would you please join me outside." He paused and took in a deep steadying breath. "That is my King, if you no longer require her presence." The master magician mentally cursed. If he had it his way he would have dragged Mana out of the room as quickly as possible and then proceeded to bellow his mind to the Pharaoh. But he could not do these things as he would have liked; the ancient laws would not allow for such actions._ But if he hurt her I swear to Ra... _

Mana quickly disentangled herself from the sheets which had no right to be so grabby or restricting and offered Atem, who looked like he was about to be executed for treason, a small, weak, and slightly confused smile before hurrying out the door to her waiting master.

Atem winced as the door clicked shut. Though it had actually been closed quite softly, it might as well have been slammed closed by Seto or Bakura. By the look in the eyes of his two closest friends he knew he'd screwed up, _royally_.

sssSsss

Mana timidly entered her and Mahad's room, following closely behind the rustling sweep of her master's robes, her expression wary. Yet more important, her mind was racing with last night's events trying to piece together exactly what had happened.

_I remember meeting Atem in the stage area_, she though, squinting her eyes shut with concentration. Mornings were never an ideal time for recalling information, especially if they were early mornings following only a few hours of sleep, but circumstances demanded the resurface of every exact detail. _He pulled me out of that giant curtain I had fallen into and then we just sat and talked for a while about the past and I think he was actually starting to remember!_ She recalled the last part with a little flutter of excitement. _Then I went outside with him and we played around in the rain for a while. After that we went back upstairs and..._ She blushed slightly. _I was so tired, I fell asleep in his bed._

It puzzled Mana as to why she was feeling so embarrassed and awkward about that last fact. She and Atem had slept together lots of time in the past, talking until they could no longer keep their eyes open about their latest pranks and adventures or even some new training exercise. But now...now things were suddenly different. They were older now and things weren't so light and happy. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something definitely different between her and her lifelong friend.

"Mana," started Mahad, pulling his young apprentice from her thoughts. The uneasy tone of his voice did not escape the young girl.

_That's not good,_ she thought worriedly, _he sounds really upset..._

"What in Ra's good name were you doing in the Pharaoh's quarters last night?" the mage questioned as calmly as possible.

"I...well..." she stammered a bit nervously due to the weird unsettling look he was giving her which perfectly mimicked the feeling in her stomach. "...sleeping?" she finished lamely hoping that such an answer would suffice. The look on his face immediately informed her that it would not.

"Mana please tell me that the seriousness of this situation has not escaped you."

She gave him a questioning look which did nothing to calm his troubled features.

Moving up one of his long fingered hands to rub furiously at his temples—a nervous habit her master had possessed for as long as Mana could remember—he began to pace. After a few long minutes of this worried tracing and retracing of steps across the silent room, Mahad finally turned to look at his confounded and slightly flustered apprentice. Placing both hands on her shoulders, he allowed his strong gray eyes to bore mercilessly into her own aquamarine ones. When he spoke his voice was steady, stern, and demanded truth.

"Mana, I care about you deeply; you are like a sister to me and I intend to keep the oath I swore so many thousands of years ago.

I know that the Pharaoh and you are close friends, so close that even five thousand years of separation could not break your bond. He is my friend too; you know I would give my life for him. But Mana, I have seen the way the two of you look at each other and you must know that anything that happens between you could never be recognized by the priests or by the gods and I...I could not bear it if you were to become...nothing more than a simple harem girl to him." He spat the last words out as if they were a particularly disgusting morsel and had left a foul taste on his tongue.

Mana's eyes couldn't have possibly grown wider; her jaw dropped. _He...he thinks we..._ She was speechless.

"Mana," continued her master unrelentingly, "please tell me that your chastity and honor are still intact."

Mana wasn't speechless any longer. "_Mahad_!" she practically screamed, her voice high and aghast. "I can not _believe_ you could even _think_ that! Atem and I are _friends_ not _lovers_! That's crazy! It's...it's..."

At the beginning of Mana's outburst Mahad had let a heavy sigh of relief escape his lips, and now that his student had seemed to run out of logical things to say, he cut off her incomprehensible explanations with a strong embrace. "I'm sorry I questioned you my apprentice but I had to ask."

Mana returned the hug and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to take comfort in the warm familiar embrace of her teacher but even his strong arms could not hold at bay the tangle of swirling emotions surrounding her heart. For though Mahad's theory as to what had transpired last night was absurd, the basis for his worries had not been. She finally understood why things had changed between her and Atem. It was undeniable what she felt for him and now that she understood it, there was no going back.

Worse was the fact that what Mahad had said was true; no matter how much her and Atem might care for each other, he was a mighty Pharaoh and she was a lowly magician's apprentice, a humble servant, nothing more.

This unexpected twist of events was going to irrevocably change their friendship forever. This silly thing called love could easily do what five thousand years of separation could not. It was this thought that caused a tear to run down Mana's smooth tanned cheek.

sssSsss

_Nothing_, Atem thought somberly as he sat on the edge of his bed, _could possibly make this situation any worse_. But, as with every other situation, the Universe just couldn't resist proving him wrong: usually the slight sensation of Yugi's presence appearing next to him was welcome and comforting, right now it was the last thing he needed.

_'Yami,'_ questioned his hikari hesitantly, _'what happened?' _

Atem let out a shaky breath not meeting Yugi's eyes. "Nothing Yugi. Nothing happened. Everything is as it should be."

It was a bad lie and Yugi was nowhere close to buying it, though the fact that Atem was hesitant to divulge the details of the past twelve hours did nothing to calm his nerves. _I suspected that he liked her but...would he have? 'Yami, we share a body. There really isn't a way that we can effectively hide things from each other. Besides,'_ he said with a slight smile, _'wasn't it you who said it it was better to say it yourself than have the other person discover what really happened on their own?'_

A weak chuckle escaped Atem's lips as he recalled the conversation he'd had what seemed an age ago with Yugi in regard to his grandfather and a missing rare dragon card. The Pharaoh knew his light was correct and that his true feelings toward Mana would break through to the surface sooner or later—_Probably sooner; I seem to be horrible at keeping such things to myself_—but despite this, he still could not bring himself to utter them out loud. So instead of starting on a lengthy tedious explanation, he closed his eyes and willed his newly discovered feelings for Mana and the events of last night to become clear to his hikari.

A quiet _'Oh'_ was the only response Yugi made once the transfer of memories was completed. He couldn't really say it shocked him. The Pharaoh was his spirit-partner after all and he had suspected that something more than friendship was going on between the two of them but it was a problem. Atem knew very well that Yugi had feelings for Téa and the last thing Yugi wanted to do was use the excuse: "I'm not cheating on you, the Other Me just likes someone else."

_Yeah that'll go over well,_ Yugi thought bitterly. _Not that I'll ever get the opportunity. Not after what happened right before she left for America. Maybe it's just better to let the Pharaoh try his luck with this romance thing. As it stands, he has a better chance at succeeding than I do._

The Pharaoh sighed, automatically reading the reasons behind Yugi's depressed thoughts. "Don't...don't worry about it Yugi," he soothed, placing a hand on his hikari's shoulder. "She can't stay mad forever and as for me, I can handle things. Besides, it's not even socially possible, the laws of Egypt would never allow such a relationship."

Yugi's amethyst eyes fixed Atem's identical ones with a quizzical stare as if what he had just said was both absurd and completely irrelevant. '_You're not __**in**__ Ancient Egypt anymore.'_ he stated simply as though he was trying to explain that two plus two was equal to four.

Yugi's bluntness and the truth behind it startled the Pharaoh but before he could come up with an appropriate response, there came the sound of a light tapping at the door causing both of the stressed teens to jump. Seconds later the door opened and Pegasus's face peered around the frame, his long silver hair slipping over his shoulders.

"So sorry to interrupt, Yugi-Boy," he stated in in his musical voice, "but there is something that the two of you simply must see."

As glad as Yugi to move on from this rather awkward discussion, the Pharaoh nodded and quickly followed the older man out into the hall. Once they'd reached the end of the corridor, Pegasus gestured in his usual overly extravagant manner down the staircase which Atem had ventured last night.

"They've set up the TV in the lobby. You know," he clarified, "the big front room with all the cushy yet quite dusty armchairs. I'll be around in just a minute, just have to collect Kaiba-Boy first." Before departing he fixed the Pharaoh with a unnaturally serious look, his tone losing its cheeriness and becoming dark. "I must warn you though, you're _really_ not going to like what you'll see."

Atem inclined his head in affirmation and Pegasus headed off down another hallway, his brisk, bouncy steps causing his long flowing hair to drift backwards, revealing the chilling sight of his now empty left eye socket.

Once the older man was out of sight the Pharaoh once again stepped down the wide staircase, both he and Yugi wondering what else the world could possibly throw at them.

sssSsss

Seto was already up, showered, and dressed by the time Pegasus came knocking, but despite his readiness to be called from his temporary new room—which was not even _close_ to the caliber of a closet in his old abode—he was still very reluctant to answer the summons being made on the hard wooden door. He had other, _vastly_ more important things to contemplate.

_Like last night._

Nothing he did seemed to be able to clear his whirring mind nor calm the knot of emotions which was lodged, seemingly permanently, in his twisting stomach.

_I've never lost control like that,_ he thought with an emotion he was at a loss to even begin to describe. Seto desperately tried to put himself back together, forcing new information and whole sections of his being, that up until recently, had not even existed into slots that they couldn't even remotely fit into.

It was a known fact that Seto hated feeling he was not one hundred percent in control of his life—which quite apparently he was not—but losing control of his very body, having his mind and rational side just slip away and vanish from existence as it had last night, well that was millions of light years away from his comfort zone. And while this loss of absolute control was terrifying, it was just as addicting as her silky hair running between his burning digits.

The man shook himself violently. _Kisara... What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

Mokuba ended up getting the door and the sing song melody of "Kaiba-Boy" was enough to make Seto want to tear out the man's other eye.

sssSsss

Atem's eyes widened in absolute horror as the news bulletin flashed across the somewhat grainy screen of the small TV. The ancient device had been positioned on a dingy footstool in the center of the large room so that all of the individuals in their strange group could behold the horrific images caught by the shaking camera. Each expression was grim as the static laced screen displayed a scene dominated by very real very deadly shadow creatures at the command of darkly hooded men who were perhaps not men at all, wreaking havoc on lower Domino City.

The terrible images resonated deeply in Atem's brain, bringing forth equally devastating snapshots of Ancient Egypt, his home, reduced to a smoking ruin and the merciless claws of Zorc and of the destruction caused by those who wielded the Seal of Orichalcos.

It seemed that this really was the apocalypse Bakura had spoke of and that the Dark One had dreamed about for so many centuries. It was also undeniably apparent that if they didn't stop it, no one would.

It seemed that the apocalypse started at Domino High School.

**sssSsss**

AN: The next chapter will be entitled Flames, will be very long, and will contain the first and very super special awesome duel. It will also hopefully be done in time for Christmas but I make no promises.

Love you all, especially my reviewers,

-Asiera


	20. Gathering Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, however I do own an extremely bust collage schedule which includes a calc class (with a lab), a chem class (with a lab), a comp science class (with a lab), a chem and nuke engineering class, and a tec writing class, so I don't think I'd have time to own it anyway...

AN: Been a really long time, believe me I know (please refer to the list above for a ton of great excuses), but hopefully this THIRTY-THREE page long chapter will tide you over for a while. Enjoy, please review!

(More dueling—this time with actual cards—in the next chapter.)

**Chapter XX**

**Gathering Storm**

"What exactly are you implying Bakura?" exclaimed the Pharaoh in a manor that perfectly betrayed his horror at the thief's latest declaration, "that we should just stand around here and do absolutely nothing?"

"No," shot back the glowering white haired boy, folding his arms, "I am merely pointing out the fact that if we go rushing head long into every peril that presents itself, we're all going to end up dead or _worse_. What does that evil spirit have to do to get the reality of the situation past all that overly extravagant hair of yours? Hold up a gigantic sign stating in big red letters that _this is a trap_? You are playing _right_ into his hands, 'Pharaoh'," Bakura finished, scowl still in place.

"I'm sure our Pharaoh knows that Malik intends this to be a trap," said Mahad in as civilly a way as was possible, "but we must not let evil rampage across the land unopposed."

"Besides," added Pegasus, "no one said _anything_ about rushing recklessly into battle. The Pharaoh, Yugi, and Kaiba are some of the best duelists I know and _believe_ me when I say that you don't get to be _that_ good by throwing strategy out the window."

"Hopefully by 'strategy' you mean more than 'trusting in the heart of the cards'," commented the elder Kaiba, giving Yugi's spirit and the Pharaoh a slightly suspicious glance, "because that bullshit isn't going to cut it this time."

The Pharaoh opened his mouth to respond but was abruptly cut off by his hikari. _'We don't have __time for this!' _he exclaimed, more than a hint of desperation in his voice. _'It doesn't matter if we have a plan or not, I'm not going to just sit here talking strategy while my friend is in grave danger!'_

Everyone's attention—with the exception of Grandpa's and Pegasus's who could not see Yugi while he was in spirit form—immediately switched over to the Pharaoh's light.

Seto narrowed his eyes. "And I, Yugi, have no intention of getting killed for them. Besides, it's Winter Break, which one of your friends is still hanging out at an empty school house?"

"Joey," responded the Pharaoh solemnly. "He's there 'improving' his academic standing. It was mandatory."

"Figures," scoffed the CEO, folding his arms. "It _would _have to be Wheeler."

Things would have escalated if at that moment Pegasus had not cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching tightly to the left side of his face.

The older man lost his balance, falling painfully to the floor still holding tightly his face, trying to escape sensation that his head was about to explode. Kisara, who had recently taken a liking to the strange man, was at his side in moments but Pegasus did not notice her presence, even the silhouettes that were all that were left of the circle of concerned faces around him began to flicker and fade, turning to impenetrable darkness.

sssSsss

The damned woman's scream cut through Marik's already tortured soul like a white hot blade as she was reduced to nothing more than fuel for the monstrous lightless fire that was Zorc's ever growing soul. She had been young, no older than his brother Odion, yet her life had been forever obliterated as she became sustenance for the devil, pushed into the creature's gaping maw by _his own_ burning hands.

Marik turned his still red and stinging eyes over to the small British boy who was huddled up in a corner sobbing as silently as he could. For a second the Egyptian felt a flash of anger towards Bakura. _If it weren't for him I..._ But the angry thought disintegrated into nothingness as he remembered why he had become his dark's reaper:

_**Malik roughly grabbed Bakura by the scruff and forced him to his knees in front of the pit whose depths extended all the way to hell. "This is why I brought you here Little Boy." He whispered in the shaking boy's ear. "My Hunters have already made their way into your precious world and are, as we speak, harvesting the souls of the humans whom they defeat and whose bodies they feed on."**_

_**Bakura tried unsuccessfully to recoil from the bone chilling words, wishing desperately that he was safe in Soul Room under his yami's watchful eyes instead of writhing in this purgatory.**_

_**The evil entity continued unrelentingly, crouching down behind the bright spirit so that his hot breath enveloped the other's ice-cold ear. "In turn the souls of those inferior beings must be offered up as a sacrifice to the Dark Lord so that his re-birth may be completed. Unfortunately," he crooned mockingly, stroking the poor teenager's silky white hair, "only someone of a pure soul who does not wish our Dark Master to be reborn can perform the deed."**_

_**Marik shuttered. He knew the ritual of which his yami spoke. It was a safety measure put into place by the ancient spirit Horakhty who had tried to ensure that Zorc's imprisonment in the darkest depths of the Shadow Realm was permanent. Obviously, it wasn't a very effective one. **_

_**"P-please," begged Bakura, all courage leaving him as he was forced to look deep into the recesses of hopelessness and death. "I-I can't...I won't do it...I-"**_

_**"You don't have a choice," sneered the monster inhabiting the Tomb Keeper's body. "If you don't do what I say I'll **__**kill**__** your yami. Didn't you say that you didn't want him to suffer any more? Well he will...more than you could ever imagine...and I'll make you watch as his soul is slowly **__**devoured from the inside out."**_

_**Bakura's eyes began to fill with tears. "I..."**_

_**Marik couldn't take it anymore. He launched himself off of the freezing ground where he had recently been shoved, stormed towards his yami, and before he lost this flash of determination (or lapse of intelligent thought), he roughly grabbed the dark spirit by his cloak's collar, dragged him to his feet, and spun Dark around to face Light.**_

_**"How Dare You!" spat Malik in pure seething rage.**_

_**Marik didn't so much as flinch, his violet eyes boring defiantly into identical ones belonging to his twisted twin. "You don't need the boy, Aibou, you have me."**_

Those final words had earned Marik the position of Reaper and while he could console himself knowing that he had saved Bakura from this abhorrent fate, he knew that he had permanently bound himself to the shadows. With each soul he drove to the slaughter, the blacker his own became. With each scream he saw the prospect of ever being able to set foot in the light of the sun and being held by his loving family slip away into nothingness.

_A wish? _He had thought an eternity ago as he'd taken his seat in front of the gleaming cake. _The __only thing I could ever wish for is that everyday be just a little more like today..._

A hot tear slid down his cheek because he knew now he would never get his wish.

sssSsss

The dark figures and images became blurred and jumpy as blinding white spots consumed them entirely, like an old roll of film that had caught fire and was being burned through by the hot light. Pegasus's vision was drawn from the deep passages of the Shadow Realm back to the large rather dusty lobby and the worried looking expressions of all in their strange little group.

"Are you alright Pegasus?" asked Kisara as she helped him to shakily sit up.

His _eyes_ darted over to the woman behind him and he nearly had to shield them. Behind her pale slender form burned like a newly made star, the semi transparent shape of her Ka, the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Just as bright, but infinitely smaller, was a barely visible shimmering chain that extended from a bright spot on the left side of her chest. Following it with he eyes Pegasus saw that it connected to a similar spot on the chest of the CEO standing above him, who surprising, looked a bit worried (but whether it was for his sake or for the fact that the Kisara was worried he didn't know).

Moving his gaze to the Pharaoh and his now visible hikari, Pegasus noted similar chains—this time of bright violate—connecting him to his two mages and another, larger one of gold connecting him to his hikari.

There was way to deny it, the Millennium Artifact that he hoped he'd never see through again was embedded in the left side of his no longer cheery face.

Pegasus took a shaking breath and pushed his long silver hair out of his grave face so that they all could behold for themselves what had just transpired. There was an audible gasp but whether it was from the Millennium Eye, the trail of blood the was trickling down his pale features, or both, one could only guess. Quickly and unseen, the Thief King hurriedly hid his wrapped right hand behind his back, not certain that Pegasus could not now see the true results of that wicked blade and guess its meaning.

When the older man spoke he was out of breath and nearly all the usual happiness and exaggerated syllables had left his voice. "We must go to Domino City High School immediately. If we don't stop Malik now, Marik and Bakura will probably die and we will have to fight a fully realized Zorc. We don't have much more time Pharaoh."

sssSsss

_This is really __**really**__ bad_, thought the tall youth as he peered cautiously around the wall of his current hiding place. This whole sector of town was going to hell and the blood curdling screams that echoed throughout the surrounding halls were enough to make the blond hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

_Jeez, I know I wished for somethin' that would end this never ending boredom but this is crazy! _Hearing another loud explosion that shook the school to its foundations followed by approaching footsteps he quickly pulled his head back behind the concealing wall. _The Universe must really hate me..._ A quick look to the sign on the wall above where he was crouched confirmed this fact. _Okay Man, pull it together. You're not gonna just sit here like a scared little kid while people are in danger. You're gonna get up an and show those creeps what you're made of!_

He shivered. Those "creeps" were perhaps the scariest things he'd ever wished he never saw. They were all about seven feet tall and wrapped up in long flowing black cloaks that seemed to be made of old rags and had the small to confirm it. This wraith-like look was completed by the way they seemed to float over the ground and by the deeply shadowed hood that was pulled low over their faces—another thing we wished he'd never seen and unfortunately had. The most grotesque part was: they didn't have a face. There was a wrinkly, gray-black, shrunken mass where their faces were supposed to be. The disgusting slimy looking surface was marred by no features save a horrid disfigured hole in the center of it which was lined by small, shark-like teeth that glittered an eerie white. What was even worse—and that was a hard level of bad to attain—was what their noxious mouths did.

He'd watched in horror as a hideous shadow creature that looked something like a mix between a baboon and a rabid hyena pounced the teacher in charge of winter/summer-school and shook him like a rag doll, its horrible snarling accompanied by gurgled screaming and the sickening sound of snapping bones. The youth had tried to help the poor man but the shadow creature (that was easily the size of a small horse) had knocked him across the room to the door which was probably the only reason he was still alive.

Once there was no way of disputing the fact that the elder man was beaten the humanoid thing had crossed the blood soaked floor to the trembling man, it's bare corpse-like feet seeming to barely touch the ground that the trails of its cloak slithered over. After reaching its doomed target the thing had grabbed him with hands that looked like they belonged to death itself and pulled him slowly and unrelentingly to his feet that could no longer support his broken body. The gasping had begun begging the monstrosity before him for his life but to no avail. Then the creature had pulled back its hood and the man's begging became screams, screams which were abruptly cut off as the abomination opened its terrible maw. The teen had watched in utter horror as the man's entirety was _sucked_ into the thing's gaping mouth, his body becoming disfigured, elongating and stretching as if he was being pulled mercilessly into a black hole.

The boy had been lucky to make it out alive.

Despite the horror that he knew those approaching footsteps brought, he steeled his resolve, tightening his grip on the piece of metal pipe he'd found among the wreckage of a class room on the way here. As soon as those monsters set foot around the corner he was going to give them a taste of the rage boiling up inside of him and at least take a couple of the skinny bastards down with him. He'd teach them a lesson, _Brooklyn_ style.

He held his breath, concentrating only on the sound of their approaching feet he judged there to be two of them, maybe three; they were moving quickly and with purpose. _The purpose of getting' a __pipe slammed inta their nasty faces!_ he thought savagely. As soon as the first's shadow became visible he charged, screaming at the top of his lungs and smashing the pipe down with all the force he could muster.

His hand was caught on the decent and held at bay with more strength than he had thought was possible of those spindly arms. He gulped and looked up, thinking to see the chilling face of his death; what he saw was perhaps worse.

"Figured I might find you hiding in the little girl's room Wheeler," sneered Seto Kaiba, still keeping a firm grip on his arm.

Yep, the Universe _definitely_ hated him.

sssSsss

Atem threw his body to the left and actually felt the scorching wind from the blast of dark energy as it shot past him, missing him by mere inches. The source of the nearly life-ending blast screeched—an action that in and of itself might be considered an attack—keeping the Pharaoh's attention riveted to its hideous bat-like form (as if he needed any extra incentive). Atem cursed and pulled himself quickly to his feet, hand flying to his Duel Disk and the familiar cards that it contained.

As it was very apparent, by the time he and the others had reached the affected area, they had discovered it had been transformed into a full blown war-zone. A war-zone which centered around Domino City High School. Thankfully, their small group had managed to make it past most of Malik's dark forces unnoticed by the utilization of Pegasus's new eye—which could see the dark magical auras of the shadow creatures prowling the streets. This along with Mahad's and Mana's illusion spells ensured that they made it to Yugi's school undetected. Unfortunately, once they had reached their destination they found that it was impossible to remain unnoticed due to the sheer number of dark entities swarming the grounds.

It had come as a huge relief and surprise to both the Pharaoh and Yugi when Seto had offered to go into the school and search for Joey. Once a semi-reasonable plan had been formulated, it was up to Mahad, Mana, the Thief King, and himself to cause the needed distraction and draw Malik's forces so that Kaiba, Kisara, and Pegasus could sneak into the smoking school building and find Yugi's best friend.

They had been under the impression that Mahad's magical barrier would hold the monsters at bay until the others reemerged but if his scorched jacket was anything to go by, it seemed that their greatest defense had just failed.

They were going to have to fight this hell-like hoard.

Atem's quick fingers closed around the top two cards of his deck. In past battles, where the monsters were rendered physical beings by powerful magic, the Pharaoh had never had to look through his deck for the proper cards to play; they had just been there for him. Now was no different, Atem fully trusted his life and those of his friends to the Heart of the Cards. Which is why Atem was now looking down in shock at the two blank white cards in his hand. His racing mind informed him that they were all that was left of his two most faithful cards after Mahad and Mana had passed through them. He had assumed that such a magical ritual had caused the cards to become useless but had been unable to bring himself to remove them from his deck.

Atem looked across the field at the twisted bat with a leathery wingspan of over thirty feet that was preparing to unleash another devastating blast of dark energy straight towards him. He didn't have time to redraw. Well he had said that he trusted completely in his deck, now was no time to start doubting. As usual, everything was riding on this next move. He slammed the empty cards down onto his Duel Disk.

sssSsss

Mana moved quickly to her fallen teacher's side who had been thrown several meters backwards into the outer wall of the school's gym when his shield had shattered. The cause of this violent unraveling of her master's protection spell—the eleven-foot tall ape-like creature with sharp purplish spines jutting through it's misshapen, coarsely haired back—was advancing quickly on its knuckles and hinds legs towards the two magicians.

"Are you alright Master?" cried Mana worriedly as she tried to pull her fallen mentor to his feet.

Mahad nodded shakily, understanding as he regained his footing that because of his failure to hold the shield, he had endangered them all immensely. "Mana...I'm sorry...I—"

"There's no time for that," cut in his apprentice, shaking her head rapidly. "We have much _bigger_ problems," she stated, grimacing as she turned to look back at the huge gorilla creature who was only a few seconds away from bearing down upon them, snarling and bearing its bloody fangs as it advanced.

Mahad quickly straightened to his full height and extended his right hand so that his fallen staff flew into his outstretched long fingers. There was no way in Ra's holy name that he would allow his Pharaoh or his apprentice to come to harm; he would die before he saw that happen.

Mana grinned as she saw that all too familiar spark return to her teacher's eyes. With a quick magical gesture she caused her own apprentice's wand to appear in her hand and together they turned to face the shambling monstrosity.

Strangely though, neither magician got the change to unleash any sort of attack. The moment they each raised their respective staffs a blindingly bright purple light filled the air. Each mage was shocked to see that it was emanating from their own chests.

sssSsss

Atem's amethyst eyes reflected the dark energy crackling between the razor sharp fangs of the flying terror before him and he had a horrible chilling feeling that this time the monster would not miss. At the last possible moment, just as the creature let lose the powerful blast of shadow magic, the Pharaoh's vision of the hell-bat became blocked by the forms of his two most beloved spell casters. But as the more powerful of the two magicians raised his staff and cast aside the vampire bat's attack as if it had come from a one-star monster, causing a bright flash of light and a sound like thunder, Atem realized that his first impression had been wrong. These were not simply the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, nor were they only Mahad and Mana, the cloaked figures standing protectively in front of him were the spirits of his two most trusted friends, completely fused and in harmony with their Ka's. The result of this union was vastly more powerful than either of its respective parts and the Pharaoh could practically feel the power radiating from his two guardians.

Their normally midnight purple armored robes had been replaced by ones of of pure silver and gold, accented by shimmering ribbons of royal purple. The symbol of Atem's family—the black falcon—adorned each of their chests as well as the extravagant yet finely crafted circlets that rested on their foreheads. The sight was awe inspiring to say the least.

"Mana, Mahad..." the Pharaoh whispered in amazement.

Mana turned to him giving him a thumbs up coupled with a wink. "We got your back."

Mahad smiled at his apprentice's choice of words, his deep gray eyes locking with his king's. "Yes, as it should be." Then the two magicians turned in unison and gave eachother a perfect look of understanding before launching themselves into the air with incredible speed towards their vastly unprepared adversary.

The gigantic bat shrieked and propelled itself upwards on its heavy leathery wings in an attempt to distance itself from the new threats to its victory. Mahad's and Mana's quick eyes stayed locked on their target but they did not bother to give chase, instead opting to unleash a powerful array of ranged attacks from the tips of their glowing staffs.

The large creature managed to dodge the majority of the magical blasts by utilizing a complicated combination of dives, rolls, and twists but eventually, it's aerial prowess failed as one of Mahad's more devastating blasts caught the gigantic bat on its left wing, sending the monstrosity plummeting towards the earth, trying futilely to regain it's lost balance. Just a breath before it would have crashed into the ground, the creature managed to unfurl its damaged wing, causing the fall to only injure the beast instead of dealing it a deadly bone-shattering blow.

The bat screamed in rage and pain and then began to claw its way towards the magicians with surprising speed, its long wing talons digging deep jagged rivets into the pavement, its small red eyes burning with hatred and a lust for blood.

Both magicians moved so that they were hovering just above the charred ground, once again placing themselves between the shadow beast and their Pharaoh. They each raised their enchanted weapons, intending to to finish it off with a combined attack, when a mighty roar to their right demanded their attention. The huge spined ape that had originally attacked Mahad had crossed the playing field and was once again barreling towards its target: this time Atem.

Mahad was about to change the course of his attack, leaving himself wide open to the assault of the vampire bat when Mana stopped him. "Don't worry Mahad, I'll take care of Big-and-Ugly, you finish up here."

"Mana, are you sure?" he questioned in concern, even though they both knew there wasn't time to argue about it.

Mana was already moving quickly to Atem's side as she called back her answer. "Yeah, I'm positive! It was you who trained me after all!"

Not really having much of a choice in the matter, Mahad nodded as his young apprentice raced off to do battle with the Goliath and turned once more to face the partially maimed bat before him who had more then halved the distance between them. _'The sooner I finish this creature, the sooner I can assist Mana in dispatching the other monster,'_ he thought calmly.

The Master Magician stilled his mind, focusing only on the magical symbols that would help him to obliterate the abomination before him. He really hated bats, almost as much as he loathed snakes.

sssSsss

Though Mahad despised snakes—and for many good reasons—there was another person in their group who at this moment, probably hated them more...

Bakura dodged to the left, barely managing to evade the ever striking fangs which dripped with an acidic shimmering substance that he had no doubt was absolutely deadly. While the Pharaoh and his magicians had been facing off against two of Malik's Hunters and their deadly "pets", he had gotten himself into his own problems.

For one, the Thief King had once again weakened himself by attempting to defy Malik's will this morning when he had desperately tried to keep the Pharaoh from blundering into this trap (a complete failure as it was undeniably apparent) and now on top of that, one of the Hunters that was guarding the entrance to the school had focused its hunt on him.

The creature at the control of this shadow demon was a very dangerous yet hauntingly beautiful Medusa-like entity. Her long slender serpentine body was over forty feet in length and was topped off with the naked scaled torso of what would have been a very attractive woman, that is, if she didn't have four inch long fangs dripping with venom and a multitude of poisonous snakes writhing about her wickedly grinning head.

One would have thought that Bakura's immediate response to this rather nasty situation would be to summon his own Shadow Creature, Diabound to the field, but the Thief King would not summon that hellish monster unless it was absolutely necessary. For while it was true that Diabound was extremely powerful and that its abilities were potentially boundless, that Shadow Creature was a dark gift from Zorc himself. Using such a "gift" had the very likely potential to bring a whole cascade of nasty consequences crashing down on him and the thief was in no great hurry to allow that to happen.

Bakura gritted his teeth as he pulled out his dagger and swiveled to once again face the serpent queen before him. This was turning out to be one hell of a very, _very_ bad day...

sssSsss

"So you're tellin' me that _all_ the Millennium Items are reappearin' and that that _huge_ evil dude from Ancient Egypt is back along with that total psychopath from Battle City _and _Bakura's evil alter ego?" questioned Joey in a somewhat exasperated tone as he, Seto, Kisara, and Pegasus ran down what they hoped to be a deserted hallway.

"Pretty much," panted Pegasus, "but the Thief King is on _our_ side now."

Joey gave the elder man a skeptical look and scoffed. "Riiight. I'd believe that about as quickly as I'd believe that Rich Boy here was the King of Games."

"Watch it Wheeler," growled Seto. "I could have just left you to cower in the girls bathroom, and believe me, I would have no problem throwing you back in there."

Joey was about to shoot some angry comment back at the CEO, but thankfully Pegasus cut him off. "Honestly you two, don't you think we have _enough_ problems _without_ adding both of your insentient bickering to the mix?"

"You're right Pegasus," returned Seto, surprising both the older man and Joey. "Then a again, Joey's eternal bitching might just drive the creatures insane."

Pegasus sighed, deciding that acting as referee for those two was completely hopeless. He was about to be proved right by Joey as the blond opened his mouth to continue their never ending squabble when Kisara halted the argument by suddenly stopping and holding out her hand, a worried expression on her usually calm face. "Wait," she commanded firmly.

The group had just reached the end of hallway 5-b which poured out into a large high ceilinged room that contained several staircases leading up to the upper levels of the school and one smaller one leading down to the basement level. The fact that they had reached this large hall meant that they were only a few more corridors away from the side entrance that was their ticket to getting out of this hell-hole. With their luck, if figured that if anything was going to go wrong, it would happen when they were so close to freedom that they could practically taste it.

Kisara breathed in deeply, her slightly pointed ears pricked and listening intently for something that none of her companions could hear.

Joey blinked in confusion. No one had bothered to introduce him to this woman or explain to him how she fit into this over complicated puzzle. "Eh Kaiba, who's the blue haired chick."

It was apparently the _wrong_ thing to say because the CEO sent Joey such a menacing glare that the latter was suddenly anticipating a powerful right hook and wisely shut up.

"What is it, Kisara?" asked Seto, the concern in his voice making Joey seriously doubt that it was really the oldest Kaiba who had spoken.

"We are being ambushed," she whispered in calm even tones.

Pegasus did a quick 360 and grimaced as his Millennium Eye confirmed her draconic suspicious. "More like surrounded..." he muttered worriedly.

"Can we out run 'em?" asked Joey, deciding it best not to question how these two _knew_ they'd been discovered.

"No," replied Pegasus grimly, "like I said, we're surrounded."

"Well then," said Seto, his grin palpable in his eager voice, "I guess we have no choice but to teach these freaks a lesson." His blue eyes gleamed as his Duel Disk activated. He'd been dying for a rematch ever since his mansion had been destroyed and his family put in danger, and while this wasn't Malik he was about to fight, it would have to do for now. Besides, skulking around the shadows like this made him feel _way_ too much like a helpless little kid; Seto Kaiba was anything but.

"You might want this," said Pegasus as he offered Joey an extra Duel Disk they had brought from Bakura's lair. "The heavy amount of Shadow Magic in the area causes the spirits trapped within the cards to take tangible form."

Joey raised a eyebrow at him.

The X-Creator of Duel Monsters sighed. "The monsters are real."

"Seriously?" questioned Joey grinning excitedly.

"Seriously," replied the elder man as his own dueling apparatus sprang to life.

"Now this is more like it!" cheered the blond excitedly as he shoved his deck into place. "Just like old times, eh Kaiba?"

Seto sighed. "Just try to keep up Wheeler."

sssSsss

The giant ape began a thundering charge towards the Pharaoh but before he could react (he was hoping to draw something along the lines of Shadow Spell), his entire world went pitch black as the velvety folds of an enormous top hat fell around him. It only took Atem a split second to figure out what had just happened. One of his resourceful mages had used the spell Magical Hats and now there was only a one in three chance that he would be flattened into a mushy pulp by King Kong's meaty fists. It was an improvement over a certainty of being flattened, but the Pharaoh still didn't feel very confident in his odds as he felt the ground beneath him begin to tremble violently, signaling the charging primate's fast approach.

The Pharaoh held his breath, hoping to the gods that this ploy would work. Thankfully and as usual, Atem got lucky. The disproportionate and now very disappointed gorilla had slammed into the empty middle hat and was now left blinking blankly down at the purplish smoke that was all that was left of the magician's illusion.

Now that their purpose had been served, the remaining two large top hats melted away and Atem's eyes met once again with a sparkling pair of aquamarine ones he knew only too well.

"You okay?" Mana called across the distance between them in a concerned voice.

He nodded a bit shakily—having a two ton gorilla pounding towards you while you were forced to sit blindly and helplessly in the dark was _not_ a walk in the park. "That was a little _close_, but I'm fine."

"Good," she said a bit gravely as the creature roared in anger and refaced its target, "because this fight is _far _from over."

As if to prove her point the Shadow Creature slammed it's sausage sized fingers into the pavement and ripped out a huge slab of jagged concrete. With a labored grunt, the thing lifted it above its ugly misshapen head with every intention of hurling the large piece of parking lot, cynically labeled with the handicapped symbol, at the Pharaoh with all the strength it could muster.

"Atem this way!" yelled Mana, who then immediately began to mutter a hurried spell. The Pharaoh began to sprint towards her, guessing her murmuring to be the makings of another magical shield and he prayed that this one would hold.

In fact, Mana was not focusing on the ruins that would form a barrier. Blocking a trajectory of _that_ mass with _that_ much force and speed behind it would take up way too much energy and that was assuming she could even _hold_ such a demanding spell. Even with the extra power that she had been granted thanks to Atem, she didn't think she could pull it off. Instead, she was intending to change the boulder's path by just a couple of degrees. It was a trick Mahad had taught her to preserve magical energy (and in this case, one's life). It was definitely a vastly effective one.

Atem heard the monster let out a huge strained groan as it hurled the bolder just as Mana had finished reciting her spell. The magic had the desired effect and the Pharaoh saw the concrete slab the size of a small car crash into the ground only about five feet to his left, the trajectory breaking into a myriad of smaller jagged rocks which skidded across the ground and sending up a thick cloud of dust into the smoky air.

The monster howled in rage as it saw yet another one of its attempts to destroy its prey fail.

"Mana, can you defeat that thing?" asked Atem once he had reached her, looking from the young spellcaster to the grotesque primate who perhaps weighed 50 times more than she did.

She nodded, still keeping her ever present smile in place. "No doubt about it. He may be big but he's _really_ thick," said Mana tapping her head lightly with her staff (an action that the Pharaoh was not sure was entirely safe). With that, Mana landed in front of the Pharaoh and began to chant out a complicated summoning ritual, repeating every word and symbol in the incantation twice. It was a long spell and though she'd been practicing for months, she was still a bit worried she'd get it wrong. If she did, she knew she wouldn't have enough time to try again and she wasn't even sure she'd have time to cast anything that would help before the hideous monkey was upon them.

For a few tense seconds of watching the monstrosity lumber closer and closer nothing happened. Then finally her staff began glowing a bright blue and two bright beams of the same colored light shot from its tip, accumulating on either side of the relieved magician's apprentice.

The streams of shimmering light began to take shape until Mana was joined by a perfectly summoned set of twin Magician's Valkyria.

Mana grinned. Now things were going to get interesting, that is, as long as she'd kept her symbol's straight.

sssSsss

Again the King of Thieves dodged the Medusa's deadly strike. It may have looked to the untrained eye that the thief was on the run (okay who am I kidding, it probably looked that way to anyone) but in reality, Bakura's trap was about ready to be sprung.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause between the serpent's deadly lightning fast lunges, the Thief King positioned himself in front of one of the large thick pillars that supported the heavy intricately made awning that ran along the entire front of the school, peeking in hight and size at the building's entrance.

The snake woman turned her slit pupiled red eyes on the infuriating thief that had been evading her attacks for the last ten minutes (an impressive feat to be sure). "Why do you ressisst mortal?" she hissed in a haunting seductive voice that seemed to draw him in. "It would be _ssso_ much eassier if you would jusst hold ssstill and except the inevitable. Dying really issn't _that_ bad."

"I know," the thief returned unemotionally, as if he were unaffected by her charm dripping words, "it's living that's a bitch, much like a certain incompetent Medusa who can't aim her strikes worth a damn."

The creature snarled and her hood flared out menacingly to fully encompass her rage filled face. "You will pay for your foolisshh wordsss you inssolent ssscum!" She struck at him ferociously putting far too much speed and power behind the blow. The attack was absolutely impossible for any human being to dodge but as we all know, Bakura doesn't really qualify as a human being. His lower leg just cleared the danger zone as her upper body collided with a mighty crash into the pillar sending the front left side of the metal awning crashing down around her.

The King of Thieves was not foolish enough to think that he had defeated the witch, but he was well aware that he had managed to seriously piss her off which was _exactly_ what he had intended to do.

Taking advantage of her momentarily stunned state, Bakura scaled the fallen section of the awning which made a sort of slippery ramp to the unaffected area of the overhanging metal platform. Once he'd reached the highest area, he drew his dagger and waited for his scaly friend to rear her ugly head; he didn't have to wait long.

The Medusa looked livid. Hot purple blood was trickling freely down her bruised battered face from a nasty gash on her forehead, her hate filled left eye was in the process of sealing shut with heavy swelling, a vast majority of her previously writhing snakes dangled limp or twitching, obviously broken, and to top it all off, one of her needle-like fangs had been knocked loose while the other had been severely chipped. She _definitely_ didn't look the _least_ bit attractive any more.

"Oh, that must have _really_ hurt," the thief crooned with mock affection. "Well at least your head can't have sustained _too_ much damage, for that overly thick scull of yours restricting brain development must have saved you from any _serious_ injury. Can't say the same about your face though... but perhaps it's an improvement, eh?"

The serpent screeched, seething in unbridled rage. "I will _KILL_ you!" she screamed, having every intention of making good on that oath.

She struck at him for the final time, putting every last bit of hate, malice, and anger driven strength behind it, but once again, her now broken fangs closed on nothingness.

In a fantastic display of just how skilled and balanced the King of Thieves really was, Bakura had leaped upwards at the last possible moment avoiding her last attack. Once he was airborne, the thief preformed a midair flip his feet coming hard and firm down on her upper back/neck. In a flash he was moving, running at top speed down her lengthy twisting body, the entire journey taking him no more then five seconds, five seconds in which he never faltered or lost his footing. Once he had almost reached the tip of her angrily rattling tail he once again tensed his powerful leg muscles, thrusting his body up into the air, his path launching him directly towards the Hunter in control of the Medusa.

Raising the razor sharp blade high above his head so that the impact would be at maximum strength, he thrust the dagger downwards with all his might at the same instant his feet made contact with the cracked ground, shoving the blade with everything he had into the gaping hole at the center of the Hunter's shrunken head.

Both monster's and master's screams melded into one horrific sound, the monster's shrill and agonized, the master's rendered into a pain racked gurgle, it's black blood spattering up from its ripped windpipe burning Bakura's hand where it made contact.

The Thief King pulled his blade free just as the creature had begun to implode, ironically sucking it's own form though its torn blood stained maw. Once its shadowy form had been completely obliterated his snake-like creature also melted away. Bakura flicked the boiling viscus blood from his hand and knife and wiped the sweat from his brow. That hadn't been _near_ as difficult as he'd thought it would be.

sssSsss

Mana just managed to contain her joy at how flawlessly the spell had been preformed, but she would have plenty of time to celebrate _after_ Big-Ugly-and-_Really_-Stupid had been defeated. "Take it away ladies!" she shouted happily.

On command, the two constructs glided effortlessly over to the large creature, each of their movements perfectly mirroring the that of their sister's.

The Pharaoh's face momentarily creased with confusion. Magician's Valkyria was much less powerful than Dark Magician Girl... '_Why would she..._' His amethyst eyes suddenly widened with realization. Mana was a genius!

The creature charged, seemingly undaunted by the appearance of the two Valkyrie sisters, intending to first slash its way through their suddenly frail looking bodies and then repeat the process with its original targets.

Too bad for him, there'd been a _big_ change in plans.

Right before the roaring gorilla had reached the twins they scattered, one shooting left, the other right. Almost instantaneously, the creature changed directions, chasing after the sister who had veered to the left but then, as soon as the beast had almost reached her, he did a quick 180 and charged after the other twin.

Mana laughed as the spectacle continued. Every time the enraged Shadow Creature had nearly reached one of the girls it would immediately turned tail and chase the other one.

A dark hissing that sounded similar to an asp whose hiding place had just been uncovered emanated from the shadows of the building shortly followed by the appearance of the creature's highly annoyed master who violently directed his monster's attack back at the giggling magician and her Pharaoh. His command was in vain however, for as the creature tried to obey his master's orders, the two troublesome Valkyria blocked his path with crossed staffs and then scattered as the fruitless chase was once again initiated.

"Sorry," said Mana, with not an ounce of remorse in her uncharacteristically hard voice, "but as long as Magician's Valkyria is on the field you can't declare an attack on any other spellcaster, and because there's _two_ of them, your poor beast can't declare an attack on either of them as well!"

Indeed this was the case, the seriously confused primate began to run faster and faster, trying desperately and in vain to rip apart one of the grinning twins, until he became nothing more then a speeding blackish purple blur. Then with an agonized ape-like shriek, it disappeared, its hideous form ripped in two by Mana's spell.

As its Ka dispersed into oblivion, the Hunter let out a horrible cry and began to implode, the terrible price for being the loser of such a twisted duel.

The two sister's gave eachother an elated high-five and having done their duty, vanished from the playing field. Mana gave their smoky forms a warm smile and then shakily collapsed to her knees. That spell had taken a lot out of her, but boy had it been worth it.

Atem was immediately at her side gripping her shoulders with his strong steady hands. "Mana, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she responded happily if not a little less energetically then usual. "I'm just a little dizzy. Keeping a summoning spell like that up for a good amount of time really wears you out, that's all."

Atem smiled and hugged her tightly causing her to blush. "That was _amazing_, Mana," he whispered with so much conviction that she turned a darker shade of red.

"You really think so?" she questioned, trying desperately to get her heating cheeks under control.

"Yes, I do," he answered earnestly, smiling warmly at her and brushing some of her ever messy hair behind her ear (that didn't really help Mana reach her current goal).

"I'd have to agree with you there, Pharaoh," said a calm voice from above.

The two "friends" looked up to see a descending Mahad who had just finished dispatching a rather grotesque looking bat who had suddenly become very uninterested in attacking him. He eyed them both sceptically raising one of his quizzical eyebrows. The two teens untangled themselves from each other's embraces so fast that he had to chuckle despite his doubts and worries about the relationship between the two.

"You have made your master very proud." he said smiling honestly at Mana.

Her look of embarrassment was immediately replaced, and both men were quite sure they'd never seen anyone beam brighter.

sssSsss

A low growling could be heard accompanied by a sharp clicking sound that anyone who's ever owned a dog in conjunction with a hard floor would recognize instantly. Seto tensed, preparing himself for the upcoming battle, his breath slightly irregular due to raw anticipation. The seconds that ensued as the sharp tap of the creature's claws drew nearer were rendered agonizingly long by the tension and fear that were palpable in the cold gigantic hallway. This horrible fear was maximized when the sound was joined by a whole chorus of razor sharp dog nails clicking ominously across the tiled floor.

Finally, when the four weren't sure they could take the suspense any longer, a hideous looking hyena that looked dangerously like the Shadow Creature Joey had seen earlier stuck its misshapen blood soaked and snarling muzzle around the doorway. Even Seto had to admit he was worried as six more hell hounds joined the first blocking their rout and then another six drooling monsters patted up from behind erasing any hope of a possible retreat, for a total of thirteen salivating snarling rabid animals, each longing to rib out the throats of their master's current quarry.

Joey gulped, the horrendous scene from earlier playing unbidden through his mind. This was _not_ going to be easy.

"Kisara," Seto spoke quietly, so as not to agitate the pack anymore than they already were, "can you and Pegasus guard the rear long enough for Wheeler and I to blast through this current road block?"

"Absolutely," she replied without hesitation, moving fluidly into fighting stance, her eyes beginning to glow with an unearthly blue light.

Pegasus also nodded. "Just make it quick Kaiba, these beasts do _not _look friendly." As if in affirmation, one of the terrible animals let out a bloodcurdling howl that was horribly reminiscent of a blood hound who had caught the scent of its prey.

The hunt had begun.

Kisara sent a bolt of white lighting crackling towards the first hell-hound who leaped at her, its tongue lolling crazily out of the left side of its putrid mouth. The blast connected directly with the dog's barrel shaped chest. With a sort of yipe the creature flew backwards landing in a crumpled heap on the ground, a large smoking burn visible where Kisara's attack had made contact. Yet miraculously, the injured dog limped to its only slightly wobbly feet, seeming not the least bit deterred in its blood lust driven objective.

Kisara grimaced, it was true that she would be more powerful if she were to summon her Ka, but doing so would use up a large amount of her spirit energy. And besides, she was quite certain that though it would be a challenge, she could handle these slobbering monsters without doing so. But more importantly, they had yet to run into Malik, and though she prayed to the gods that they would never lay eyes on that psychotic man ever again, she had a feeling that the worst part of this day—the part that would render these beast little more then harmless puppies—was just around the corner.

Unfortunately, she was probably right.

In under five seconds Seto had summoned one of his Blue Eyes White Dragons to the field and was now watching in pleasure as four of the raging animals were forced to scatter, running with high yelps and whimpers as his faithful dragon sent a gigantic blast of white lighting ripping through the air towards his mangy targets. Did they really think that they even stood a chance against the might of his great white dragon?

Surprising, Joey was perhaps dealing with the situation in a more cautious manner. He had witnessed first hand what these monsters were capable of and was determined that those sickening snaps would _not_ be coming form his body. The blond had also summoned a dragon to the field—his trusted Red Eyes Black Dragon—which was currently sending an assault at two of the hounds that had retreated from Seto's dragon's blast of lighting. He failed to notice one of the six hounds that Kisara and Pegasus were trying to keep at bay skirting its way around their two battling dragons until it was nearly upon Seto.

Thankfully for the young CEO, Joey, who was in the process of shielding his eyes from a particularly bright blast of red energy that roared from the mouth of his Red Eyes, happened to turn is head to the right and his brown eyes focused on the prowling animal.

"Kaiba!" Momentarily ignorant of the danger he himself was in, Joey redirected his dragon's attack to the springing fetid creature. The humming sphere of powerful red energy caught the hyena mid leap and threw it nearly twenty feet down the ruined hallway where it made contact with the building's stone wall with a wet crunching sound. Once the dog-thing stopped twitching it's mutilated body began to disintegrate until there was nothing left.

"Watch ya back Kaiba," grinned Joey, nearly laughing when he saw the shocked look on Seto's face.

The CEO almost instantly regained his composure and with a quick gesture of his hand, sent his dragon charging towards Joey.

Joey yelped and covered his head as he saw the mighty dragon leap quickly forwards, its great maw open so that each of its razor sharp fangs were perfectly visible.

Joey's shout of shock and fear was echoed by the animalistic cry of the ferocious canine who—in the absence of his black dragon's assault—had been about to maul the distracted blond from behind. The beast's pitiful whimpers and cries were cut abruptly short as the huge white dragon brought it jaws together with an almost immeasurable amount of force, snapping sinew and pulverizing bone with the strength of its bite. The dragon then shook the limp animal like a rag doll and threw its lifeless body to the ground were it too disintegrated.

"You should follow your own advice, Wheeler," said Seto with little to no emotion in his flat voice. It was as close to a thank you as Joey was going to get.

Kisara set her jaw in concentration as she averted yet another one of the snarling beasts' attempts to rip her open with its jagged blood caked nails. There were just too many of them! As far as she could tell only a hand full of the pack members had been completely eliminated. Even with the help of Pegasus's Blue Eyes Toon Dragon—which she would have found absolutely adorable if she'd had the time to consider such things—it was all they could do to keep the salivating canines at bay. They needed to end this quickly or they would be reduced to mince meat. Worse, she had the horrible feeling that the longer they stayed here, the more likely it was that they would meet up with Malik.

"Seto!" she called out without taking her eyes off of the grim scene before her. "We _need_ to get out of here!"

"I've asserted that for myself," shot Seto as his dragon kept back three of the slime coated creatures by means of its powerful snapping tail. "Unfortunately, I don't see a way of doing that anytime soon."

"Yeah," added Joey (in Seto's opinion, very unnecessarily). "It's like there's been a massive outbreak at the pound."

"Well you would know all about it wouldn't you, Mutt?" said Seto, the current situation forcing him to limit his insult to just that.

Pegasus chanced a quick glance behind him and suddenly beamed, his Millennium Eye once again proving to be a truly wonderful asset. "Kaiba-Boy, they're tokens!"

"What?!" shouted Seto, annoyed that now of all times Pegasus wanted to him to decipher his meaningless duologue.

"The pack, they're all just tokens, summoned by the special effect of the original monster!"

Suddenly it clicked. "So all we have to do is destroy the original?"

"Absolutely!" called the elderly man, the happy sing-song aspect of his voice returning.

"Pegasus that's ingenious!" cried Kisara happily.

"Great!" cheered Joey as his dragon blasted back another one of the bloodthirsty dogs, "just one question, which one's the original? I'm guessin' he'd be the ugliest one but that's a tough call."

Pegasus did a quick sweep of the room with his magical eye while Kisara and his highly energetic Blue Eyes Toon Dragon covered him. Without hesitation, he pointed at a hell-hound skulking in the shadows near the back of the fight, avoiding most of the conflict; as Joey had so articulately pointed out, he was definitely the most ugly brute of the bunch.

With a single command from her master, Kaiba's Blue Eyes cleared away all the slobbering hennas blocking their path with a powerful slash of its tail. "You know what I always say," Seto spoke smoothly, "if at first you don't succeed, blast it with your Blue Eyes again!"

"I couldn't agree more," nodded Kisara coldly, coming up to stand beside him.

Together, all three forms of the Blue Eyes White Dragon along with Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon attacked, the sheer power and magnitude of the blast completely obliterating where the Shadow Creature had been crouching a few moments prior. With a strangled mix between a whine and a howl, all the tokens vanished and when the dust kicked up by the dragons' massive blasts cleared, the only reminder of the hunter and his hound's existence was a smoldering creator at least five feet deep accompanied by the slight oder of burnt dog hair.

sssSsss

The thief's appearance just off the Pharaoh's right was so quiet that Mahad didn't notice his approach until the last second. _Mostly_ on instinct, the master magician brought up his powerful new staff so that is came to rest, glowing menacingly, on Bakura's chest.

"Watch it mage," the Thief King growled. "I'm on your side remember?"

"Of course," replied Mahad venomously, lowering his weapon, his belief in the thief's statement obvious by the look on his face.

Bakura's cold brown eyes shot over to the still kneeling magician's apprentice. "She alright?" The fact that Bakura even cared to ask was shocking to everyone present.

"I'm fine," replied Mana, her voice a great deal darker than was usual. "I just expended a lot of magical energy, that's all."

The King of Thieves scoffed sensing the animosity in each of his "companions" eyes. "Well for your sake, I hope that you can still fight, because if you think that these demons are just going to leave their attack at that, well you are bigger fools than I had originally thought."

The other's found it impossible to deny the truth in Bakura's words. For even as he was speaking, the other Hunters who had been watching the battles of their constituents from deep in the shadows, were slithering their way towards the group, their noxious breathing hissing like a man's dying breath through their ungodly pit-like mouths. With them came a twisted menagerie of Shadow Creatures.

The Pharaoh and his two mages were immediately on their feet and in perfect fighting stances.

"I told you this would a seriously bad idea, _Pharaoh_," hissed the thief. "Let's just hope your friends get here quickly."

Suddenly, both the Millennium Puzzle around Atem's neck and the Millennium Ring under Mahad's silver cloak began to vibrate and glow.

Mahad blinked in surprise at the activation of his Millennium Item and was about to voice his concerns when the snowy haired thief next to him suddenly doubled over in pain clutching his right hand. Both Magicians' eyes widened as their magical sensitive vision picked up the large amount of black energy radiating off his hand.

Before the thief could react, Mahad grabbed him by his wrist and ripped the useless bandage off, staring in horror at the dark mark pulsating he knew all to well. "What have you done Bakura?!" yelled Mahad in disgust as he threw the contaminated hand down.

Somehow that ever present sneer was still visible on his pained racked face. "Looks like we've go bigger problems then these weaklings. Malik is here."

sssSsss

"Oh yeah! You just got pwned!" cheered Joey, throwing his fist into the air in a victory punch. "That's what happens when ya mess with Joey Wheeler!"

Seto was about to comment on Joey's stupidity when he felt Kisara's smooth warm hand envelop his own. The CEO's hard demeanor instantly softened as he looked into her light-blue eyes and he inadvertently shivered at her familiar touch.

"That was amazing, Seto," she said in that quiet voice that always made him have to lean in catch her words.

"I know," he said smiling (she could make him do it so easily), "but you're going to have to get used to that kind of thing when you're around me."

She returned his smile with a knowing one. "Believe me Seto, I already am."

Joey had just happened to glance over to the pair and immediately did a double take, stopping his victory...well, I'm not sure what you'd call it. "Whoa!" exclaimed the blond, shock filling his face."Rich Boy... you an' her? Together? Really?"

Seto was seriously considering rearranging the boy's face before delivering him back to Yugi and Pegasus's following comment did nothing to weaken his resolve.

"_Really_," answered the elder man, grinning from nearly ear to ear, "and _I _was the one who knew about it first!"

"Wow..." mused Joey. He had _never_ in a million years imagined that something like this would happen.

Seto gritted his teeth as Kisara laughed and blushed, her hand moving to cover her upturned lips.

"If you don't want to lose some of your teeth, then I suggest you close your big mouth, Wheeler."

"But honestly," conceded Pegasus, deciding that now was not the best time to rile Seto Kaiba, "we should get moving, the Pharaoh and Yugi-Boy will be waiting for us and I _really_ don't fancy running into anything _else_ that's lurking in these halls."

"Dude!" yelled Joey, loud enough to make everyone present wince, "_Don't __jinx__ us_!"

Unfortunately, whether it was Pegasus's comment, Joey's shout, or the result of some particularly dark scheme (probably the last), they were already _very_ jinxed.

The group once again set off, two of their members glowering at eachother and a third grinning widely. They were just about to exit the large hallway into a smaller one that would lead them straight to the their escape rout and out of the crumbling school building, when a cheerless, slow, deliberate clapping echoed though the large room behind them.

All four duelists whipped around to face the source of the chilling sound and their breath caught as their eyes told them the cruel reality of the situation. The monster that stepped out of the darkness of the third floor balcony, his twisted crown of wild hair casting haunting shadows on his manically grinning face, was none other than Malik.

The dark spirit laughed evilly at the look of horror and dismay he had caused to appear on each of their now pale faces. "Wonderful job back there _Priest_ Seto, dispatching my creatures so easily as if they were nothing more than harmless little kittens... Your _intimate_ connection with the Blue Eyes is everything your father could have hoped for and _sooo_ much more..." he drawled, his violate eyes locking with Kisara's lightning-blue ones.

While the previous statement had been all but lost on Seto, it had struck a deep nerve in Kisara who actually snarled. "Leave that trader out of this you filthy dark wretch!" she shouted, her eyes glowing and her waist long hair flying wildly about her angry features.

The usually calm girl's outburst only caused Malik to laugh harder. "So I see that there really is a powerful beast hidden behind the beauty's face. Please don't drop your gentle facade on my account, though I think we would all _love_ to see your fangs."

"Is that Marik?" questioned Joey quietly, the graveness of the situation not being missed by him.

"Not exactly," murmured Pegasus in equally as quiet of a voice. "I'll explain fully later, but for now just know he's the mastermind behind all this madness."

Seto glared, pulling out his Duel Disk. "I've been waiting a long time to pay you back for destroying my mansion and threating my family you psychotic bastard!" seethed the CEO. "Consider the beating you're about to receive just _interest_."

Malik didn't even back up as the ferocious form of Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragon filled the suddenly small looking room, snarling and gnashing its savage fangs.

"I don't like this Seto," whispered Kisara, her eyes never leaving the hysterical demon before her. "This could be a trap."

"Kisara, we all knew this was a trap the moment we decided to come here. That fact isn't going to prevent me from kicking his ass."

Kisara looked nervously from her love to the evil spirit before her. Malik seemed vastly more powerful then he did the last time they faced eachother and while they had been able to defeat him before, she wasn't sure they could pull off such a feat again even with Pegasus's and Joey's help—who were in the process of summoning their own dragon's to the field. Despite all worries and fears, she stood her ground, preparing for the battle she had known was just around the corner since she'd set foot on the school's grounds.

Before the others could even finish summoning their creatures, Seto ordered his dragon to attack. "Blue Eyes, hit him with everything you've got!"

The dragon complied, sending a perfect storm of merciless lightning raging towards the crazed villain.

Malik screeched as the attack connected but not in pain, in uncontrollable, insatiable laughter. The shining blast tore through is form as if it were made of intangible mist and then continued unobstructed until it smashed into and shattered one of the rooms walls, causing the building to shake unstably.

Malik continued in his insane hysterics until the shadows that made up his twisted form had completely reassembled.

"I'm afraid I don't desire to fight you mortal, nor do I have the time. I am merely here to collect what is mine," he cackled, his dark eyes locking on to the Millennium Rod tucked into Seto's belt, "then I'll be on my way to the duel that will cripple your precious Pharaoh and forever seal the fate of your miserable world."

"That's too bad," glared Seto angrily, "I've taken a bit of a liking to the Rod, after all, it so conveniently enabled me to _destroy_ you the last time you had the misfortune to cross my path." Seto grinned, taking out the brightly shinning Rod. "As a man of good business, I would never allow you to claim such a powerful resource."

Malik beamed wickedly. "Well," he hissed, his words coming out only as a deadly whisper, "if you aren't willing to part with it, I suppose I'll have to take you _both_."

Before any in their small group could realize the horrible significance behind those words, Malik raised his hands, causing a powerful black shadow barrier to slice up from the tiled floor beneath them, completely cutting off Kisara, Joey, and Pegasus from Seto and locking the young, doomed CEO in with an, up until this point, unseen black shadow which was darting across the cracked, ruined ground, headed straight for the commander of the Blue Eyes.

Kisara turned just in time to see the slimy, dark, pulsating, mass begin to take shape behind the man she loved, a shape she had prayed with every last ounce of her being never to see again. She felt her heart actually freeze solid as she recognized the the dark shadow, that recognition coming just before Aknadin's evil spirit collapsed, his form completely melding into Seto.

"_**NO!**_" she screamed in agony as the young CEO fell to his knees, gasping and clutching at his throat. Kisara pounded on the dark wall in vain, blasting the merciless divide with everything she had, trying desperately to get to Seto.

For Seto it was as if everything suddenly went dark, his senses of the world around him became skewed and all he could really feel was the horrible sensation of falling far, far away from the light, his spirit being ripped forcibly and painfully from his shaking body. This sensation was something he had felt before in a horrible recurring nightmare, only now it was a million times more powerful and this time, there was no white angel to pull him back from the abyss. The last thing he saw before the hot red mist of the shadows consumed him entirely was the woman he loved, silently screaming his name, tears running down her beautiful porcelain face, her Ka uselessly smashing against the barrier between them.

Malik watched the tragic scene before him in absolute glee. His twisted smirk could not have been bigger as the possessed CEO turned his momentarily stunned dragon on his past friends and lover.

Suddenly the dark barrier vanished and Kisara cried out in pain that was only marginally physical as the creature she trusted most turned on her, releasing a white hot blast of lighting that threw her, Pegasus, and Joey back at least twenty-five feet.

Such a blow left them all crumpled on the floor and gave Aknadin the time he needed to command his son's body to cross the room to his master's side, Seto's face bearing a twisted smirk that perfectly matched Malik's.

Kisara somehow found the strength to pull her aching bleeding body to its feet. With a desperate cry she launched herself towards Seto and Malik but her outstretched fingers closed on nothing but silky shadows as Malik took the only thing that had ever meant anything to her deep into the blackest depths of the Shadow Realm.

**sssSsss**

-Asiera


	21. A Change of Heart

Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Man I've said that a lot...

AN: Wow, if my reviews are anything to go off of, the long chapter was not that appreciated. I guess shorter chapter means quicker updates... Anyway, in accordance to my number of reviews last time, I shortened this chapter quite a lot by stopping about half way through what I'd planned to write. If I was wrong in my assumption please tell me so, and I'll go back to twenty plus paged chapters, kay?

Oh also, I'm getting really lazy with these Super Special Awesome Awards, so here's two since I missed the last one—hope that's all I missed.

Okay the first one goes to Super Special Awesome Attack (kinda fitting huh?) for reviewing pretty much all of my chapters and giving me a ton of wonderful comments.

And the second one is a tie between HopelessRomantic183 and millenniumthief. Both your reviews were amazing. They really made my week reading them. Thanks so much!

Alright, now that I've gotten that over with, let's get back to the action.

**Chapter XXI**

**A Change of Heart**

"Mahad, what is that?" questioned the Pharaoh, as his eyes darted from the wincing thief to the advancing crowd of twisted constructs.

"Its the mark of a Soul Dagger," spat Mahad coldly, his dark eyes and glowing staff never leaving the thief on the ground before him, "a demonic device that binds the will of the one who bears the mark to the owner of the dagger. In other words, Bakura has once again betrayed us all; he's been working for the Dark Lord Zorc all along!"

Bakura's tongue longed to be allowed to shoot some ill conceived insult back at the pompous magician before him, but there was no time for that. Right now these three fools where the best chance he had for defeating Zorc and Malik, and if they stayed any longer the trap would be completely sprung, and there would be little hope for his revenge or for the world—not that he really gave a damn about the latter.

"If you three value your lives," hissed the King of Thieves, ignoring the pain in his hand and the threat of Mahad's deadly staff, "or want even a chance of winning this war, then you have to leave NOW!"

"Why should we believe a thing that comes out of your wretched mouth, you _snake_?" The Pharaoh's voice was cold, anger filled, and unforgiving. "I _never_ should have trusted you. If it was not for the fact that that body does not belong to you, I'd let Mahad end your pathetic existence."

Mana's eyes widened at Atem's words and even Mahad seemed a bit taken aback. Mana had never heard him talk with such deep seated hatred to anyone, it almost scared her. And while she knew more than anyone that the Thief King deserved it, there was a nagging voice at the back of her mind telling her that something was very wrong here. Bakura seemed frantic, and they way he kept glancing at her...

"You fool!" yelled the white haired teen. "After everything he's done to me, do you think I would serve him willingly! Why else would he bind me with the dagger, mage! You _know _what happens should I break my oath to him; if I was truly on his side why would it be necessary! And more importantly, do you think that Malik would just take my hikari for the hell of it!"

Suddenly it all clicked in Yugi's mind. _'Bakura! Yami, that day in the desert. The Thief King met Malik out there and somehow he stole Bakura's soul from him and used it as leverage to get the Thief King to swear his allegiance! That's why he was so beat up when he came back—because he tried to fight! Remember, that was also the first time his hand was bandaged! We would have noticed it before!'_

By now everyone's gaze was locked onto the spirit of the hikari.

_ 'Bakura told me when he first called that the Thief King had changed, and Ishizu said we had to trust him because of a vision she saw. I think they were right, I think he really _**_is_**_ on our side this time.'_

The thief grimaced. _I should have known that it would be Yugi who would believe me. From the start I should have been working under that assumption...might have made things easier. _

"Yugi," said Mahad sternly, "I understand where you are coming from, but it is very unlikely that the Thief King would just suddenly change sides. He is very good at deceiving those around him, and even if he is miraculously telling the truth, it wouldn't make a difference, because, of his own free will or not, he is still working for the Dark One."

Bakura stole a glance back at the surrounding ring of shadow demons. They had stilled their advance, which meant that their goal was not to fight them, it was to keep them here long enough for Malik to arrive. If the dark pain in his hand was anything to judge by, it wouldn't be long at all.

"If you value your lives, then listen to the boy!" yelled the thief, looking past Mahad to the Pharaoh. "Think about it, what harm could I cause you by telling you to leave an area where there are hundreds of things that want to _kill_ you!"

Both Mahad and the Pharaoh still did not seemed convinced. This was going to take a lot more motivation than a threat to their lives. The Thief King steeled himself against the oncoming blast of pain he knew would follow his next words. If he survived this, he was going to kill them later for being so damn stubborn.

His cold eyes drilled into the Pharaoh's and then slowly turned on Mana, the look he was giving the young girl causing her to recoil slightly. "Let me rephrase that,Pharaoh, if you value _her_ life at all, then run."

The reaction was almost instantaneous, but the Thief King barely felt the smack on the side of the head from the magician's staff, or the sensation milliseconds later of being yanked roughly to his feet by the livid Pharaoh. All he felt was the absolute agony that was radiating upwards from his cursed hand and slowly traveling up his arm. It was then that the King of Thieves started to scream.

Immediately, both Mahad and Mana saw the sinister dark magic beginning to creep up his arm. In an instant, Mahad forced the Pharaoh to release the cursed creature, letting him fall writhing to the ground.

Mana's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes swimming with tears of fear and horror. Both Yugi and the Pharaoh watched in disbelief as the thief convulsed, clutching desperately at his blackening arm. Mahad felt a terrible chilling sensation grip at his heart. The only time a Soul Mark would begin to consume its host, is if that host had committed a taboo against its master. This was undeniable proof that Bakura had been telling the truth, and that Mana's life was indeed in grave danger.

Unaware of anything around him except pure electric pain, the King of Thieves thought that perhaps this was it, that he'd given too much away and that the mark was really going to devourer him. But as always, it seemed it was not his time to die—a fact that was not always welcome in his mind. Finally, the slowly advancing torture stopped just short of his elbow. That hell had merely been a _warning_, but it was enough to leave even him writhing on the ground gasping for air. That event made it clear that Bakura could not bring himself to directly disobey Malik or Zorc again, which meant he had lost—he was once again their slave, and his revenge meant nothing.

"W-what do you mean her life is in danger?" inquired Mahad cautiously, his voice nowhere near as harsh.

The thief shakily pushed himself up, cradling his throbbing arm to his chest. "D-don't make me say it...again. Just run. Run before it's too la—"

Bakura's final words were cut off as his soulless right hand flew to his mouth clamping mercilessly over it.

"Is that creature chewing your ear off with his useless and quite crude banter?" questioned a silky voice from somewhere behind the group. "Well, I must apologize for his lack of manners. I tried to train him, but no matter how often you hit him the little birdie just keeps singing. It gets really annoying after a while, wouldn't you agree?"

The Pharaoh and his companions turned just in time to see the mass of Hunters part and the wickedly grinning form of Malik appear but he wasn't alone. Walking beside him, wearing a twisted grin to match, was none other than Seto Kaiba, Millennium Rod outstretched and glowing.

"Kaiba, what are you doing!" shouted the Pharaoh.

"I'm afraid my son is a bit predisposed at the moment," spoke Seto in that all too familiar cold tone that he used when he was confidant of victory. "Perhaps after we claim your title of Pharaoh, I'll let him come out and play with your corpses. I bet his favorite will be of that icy-haired witch."

The pharaoh felt a heart stilling chill run through him, this scene was all too familiar. _Aknadin...no, not again. What about Kisara and Pegasus? Are they...oh gods..._

Between the nightmarish scene before her and the desperate look the King of Thieves was fixing her with, it was all Mana could do not to run away screaming. Bakura's words kept echoing in her ears, and she was quite sure that she hadn't felt this terrified in a long time.

"Now, now, Aknadin," crooned Malik, "we have to at least attempt diplomacy first. If the Pharaoh's not a fool, then maybe he and his little friends—all besides the traitorous thief—can live. But thankfully—for the sake of our fun—I think he is one."

Malik turned his glinting eyes to the Pharaoh. "So, what do you say Pharaoh? I'm only going to _ask_ you once, hand over the Egyptian God Cards and I'll let you all leave. Then you can have several more hours huddled together in your home saying your final _goodbyes_. A very generous offer on my part, wouldn't you agree?"

Seto grinned maliciously. "Quite."

A seething Mahad stepped forwards protectively in front of his king and apprentice. "Our Pharaoh would never surrender to the likes of you!"

Malik folded his arms raising an eye brow, seemingly unconcerned at the dangerous weapon pointed directly at his face. "Are you really going to let this lap-dog speak for you Pharaoh," he questioned, curving his neck to see around the tall mage.

Mahad hissed in anger, but otherwise did not retaliate.

"I have beaten you before, Malik," spoke the Pharaoh in a calm calculating voice, holding out his already gleaming Duel Disk, "and I can do it again. If a duel is what you want, I'll be happy to oblige, but only on the condition that if I win, you will return Seto's body and soul to us as well as the Millennium Rod, release Bakura Ryou's spirit, return your body to your hikari, and that once I defeat you, you will disappear back into the darkest depths of the Shadow Realm."

Malik stared at the Pharaoh for a few beats and then began to shake with uncontrollable laughter, eventually doubling over and holding his convulsing sides. Finally, he managed to speak, his voice still punctuated with laughs. "Y-you really think...t-that I would..._ha!_ Agree t-to such absurd terms?" More manic laughter. Malik wiped at his eyes. "You really are a hoot, Pharaoh... But in all seriousness, what is your answer."

Atem gritted his teeth, and Mahad found he had to use all his strength not to retaliate right then and there. "I was being serious, Malik. Your evil rampage ends here and now!"

This time it was Seto who started to chuckle. "He really thinks he has the upper hand doesn't he?"

"So it would seem," sighed Malik. "Well allow me to rectify the situation for you, Pharaoh. Aknadin, bring over that worthless dog."

Seto nodded and waved the Millennium Rod, the result of which was that the King of Thieves rose unsteadily to his feet and began to walk past the Pharaoh, Yugi, Mahad, and Mana over to his current puppeteer, his head hung—a sight that no one present had ever witnessed before.

It was at this point that Mana couldn't take it any more. She was far from forgiving the the Thief King for his past actions, but if he had really risked his soul being devoured to spare them this confrontation, then he was their ally—at least for now. And even he didn't deserver this horrible of a fate. Without hesitation, Mana performed a quick freeze spell that left Bakura parallelized where he was standing, no longer able to obey the Rod's commands.

"That's enough!" she shouted. If you're going to fight us, then do it, but your sick twisted games with people's lives stop here and now!"

"Mana..." muttered the Pharaoh, more than slightly surprised by her actions to defend the Thief King.

Malik rolled his eyes. "My dear, I will never stop playing that game—a fact you'll learn the hard way very soon. Besides, who are _you_ to refer to me as cruel when you're the one holding him back from obeying his master's commands and thereby forcing the Mark to inflict more pain on him? Hmm?"

Mana gasped, her eyes darting over to the hunched thief, locking onto to the blood that was dripping down his right arm onto the ground. A look of utter horror on her face, she immediately moved to end the spell, but by now Mahad had already finished muttering the counter spell.

Free from the effects of the apprentice's spell, Bakura finished stumbling over Malik and the possessed Seto.

"Hand it over, thief," commanded Malik, after Seto had released his Item's hold on the snowy-haired teen.

Bakura gave one last look to the group of four behind him. There really was no point in resisting now. No matter what, Malik would get his hands on the item Bakura had crafted last night, and the duel would commence. Fighting back now would do nobody any good and only succeed in causing him more pain. "I did warn you," winced the thief—even in this state of defeat, his apparent need to have the last word still intact. Then, turning back to face the almost giddy looking Malik, he produced a shining spell card from his jacket's pocket.

Malik held up the card, inspecting it throughly. "Very well done indeed, Bakura, The spell modifications are quite superb. You know, I really never knew why you didn't devote more time to the arcane arts, you probably could have been a powerful magician."

Bakura did not deign Malik's latest comment with a response, choosing instead to glare seethingly up at the dark spirit.

"Yes, I think this will do nicely..." Suddenly, Malik's face became hard. Turning his attention back to Atem he hissed, "Alright, Pharaoh, since you've chosen not to surrender, let me tell you exactly how this duel will play out. It's quite simple really, winner gets the Egyptian God Cards."

"And what makes you think I'd agree to such a match?" returned the Pharaoh angrily. "Seeing as I have nothing to gain and everything to lose."

If possible, Malik's grin widened. "Oh you're right Pharaoh, you do have _everything_ to lose," he hissed menacingly. "As to why you'll agree to duel me..." Malik flipped the card Bakura had given him over so that they all could see."

The card held in Malik's hand proved to be A Change of Heart. And though it was a powerful card, the Pharaoh failed to see how this would force him into the foolish duel with Malik.

"A Change of Heart?" questioned the Pharaoh darkly. "Despite its name, I fail to see how this card will change my mind."

Malik chuckled again. "You know you're almost as smart-mouthed as our little thief here," giggled Malik, jabbing a finger at Bakura. "But this is no ordinary Change of Heart, Pharaoh, thanks to Bakura, it will allow me to take control of any one of your monsters indefinitely."

Mahad glared. "Have you forgotten, Malik? The Egyptian God Cards cannot be affected by simple spell and trap cards, and even a with modified spell card, you could not hope to take control of one, let alone all three of the God Cards. And even _if_ you could take control of a single one of them, the remaining two would have no trouble crushing your feeble attempt at a plan."

Malik mock yawned. "No wonder your student is such a mediocre mage. Oh I don't blame you dear," said Malik waving his hand dismissively, "he's so boring; I would have fallen asleep in his lectures too."

Atem and Yugi actually had to physically stop both mages from retaliating.

"Come now, Pharaoh," continued Malik, his demonic look returning to his face and voice. "I am not foolish enough to think that I could command one of the gods with this," answered Malik, his Duel Disk emerging from his momentarily shadow engulfed arm. "But let me ask you something, do you really believe that the most valuable card in your deck is an Egyptian God?"

Suddenly all the pieces fit together, Bakura's warning ringing out like a gong in his ears. _Mana..._ "Mana!"

But his realization came too late. Malik dropped the card into his spell and trap card zone, and the Pharaoh could only watch in horror as the glowing white card that served as Mana's spirit door vanished from his Duel Disk and appeared on Malik's. Mana didn't even really hear Atem's and Mahad's cries, as her form flickered and faded, only to reemerge seconds later by Malik's insanely laughing side, her dark brown hair nearly covering her now blank eyes.

"What is it that you're always saying Pharaoh," yelled Malik cruelly, "Oh that's right, I remember now, '**it's time to duel**!'"

**sssSsss**

AN: Please review, you have no idea how amazing it is to hear from you.

-Asiera


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